With various partners, we copublish books that reflect on design’s past and peer into its future. These include monographs devoted to designers, companies and institutions that have made valuable contributions to Dutch design; Design Stories that take a close look at selected icons; and timely books on subjects affecting design’s current and future position. These books contribute to the Netherlands’ self-awareness and cultural understanding while strengthening and deepening comprehension of Dutch design here and abroad.
Monographs
These books shine a spotlight on designers, companies and institutions that have played an important part in the evolution of Dutch and international design. For instance, 010 Publishers recently brought out Els Kuipers’s Ootje Oxenaar: Designer and Commissioner.
Design Stories
These publications tell famous objects’ stories to a broad audience in an accessible manner. We copublished the first volume in the series, the book and DVD set Rietveld’s Chair, with NAi Publishers. In the book, the art historian Marijke Kuper investigates the origins, use and reception of a modernist classic. Lex Reitsma designed the book and directed the accompanying documentary.
The Future of Design
As well as turning the magnifying glass on the Netherlands' rich design history, Premsela looks at design’s current role in society and how it will likely change. We raise timely and important issues for discussion and make them accessible to a wide international audience. Open Design Now: Why Design Cannot Remain Exclusive, which examines current developments in open design and looks ahead to its future, came out in June 2011.
Other publications
A few books don't fall into any of the above categories. We copublished Elke tijd zijn stoel (“Every Era Has Its Chair”), on how an everyday piece of furniture fits into history, with Stichting Zetel in spring 2011. Grafisch Geluk, which tells the story of the printer Steendrukkerij de Jong and an important generation of graphic designers, will appear in the autumn.
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