Image by AIAP | Book “How Many Women Are in the Room?”
AIAP and the Feminine: 3 New Books
AIAP, the Italian Association of Visual Communication Design, has recently published three books, all focused on relevant issues, including gender equity, women in the history of graphic design, and the profession.
The most recent one is a co-edition by AIAP and Lazydog: “How Many Women Are in the Room?” documents the fifth edition of the biennial international award AWDA (the AIAP Women in Design Award). Starting from an emblematic question, the book is an invitation to never let our guard down on the issue of female presence and representation, in design as in every other field. Projects by designers from around the world are accompanied by essays from international activists, designers, and scholars, focus pieces, and interviews that explore themes related to design and feminism, women’s work, gender equality, and cultural and social inequalities.
The book edited by Letizia Bollini (full professor at the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano), entitled “Let’s Talk(s). Gender Equity in Design and Art”, collects a series of essays to engage in dialogue on gender and inclusion within the fields of design culture and art, moving beyond the concept of equality towards that of equity.
“PINK. Women of Italian Graphic Design. From the Origins to Contemporaneity” presents the figures and contributions of more than 40 women graphic designers who have been active in Italy between the 1940s and the present day. PINK intends to highlight the female contribution to the evolution of the profession in Italy and to the development of the Italian visual culture from a historical perspective, and to provide a first map of the female presence in the profession in more recent times.
PINK is an exhibition project touring Italian Cultural Institutes worldwide. It is currently in Edinburgh until 12 December, and will be in Copenhagen from 15 January 2026.
Finally, the Association’s magazine, “Progetto Grafico”, is about to be relaunched in a new format. The magazine will return in 2025—the year AIAP celebrates its 80th anniversary—as a scientific journal, published online with free access and in print upon request. It is still possible to submit proposals for the new call for papers, “Design under attack: Politics, values, and responsibility principles”.
BEDA readers can take advantage of a discount on the purchase of above mentioned volumes by applying the code NARVY9RP.
Last updated: 25/11/25