Black, Queer, and Untold - by Jon Key (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

Growing up in Seale, Alabama as a Black Queer kid, then attending the Rhode Island School of Design as an undergraduate, Jon Key hungered to see himself in the fields of Art and Design. But in lectures, critiques, and in the books he read, he struggled to see and learn about people who intersected with his identity or who GOT him. So he started asking himself questions:

What did it mean to be a graphic designer with his point of view? What did it mean to be a Black graphic designer? A Queer graphic designer? Someone from the South? Could his identity be communicated through a poster or a book? How could identity be archived in a design canon that has consistently erased contributions by designers who were not white, straight, and male?

In Black, Queer, & Untold, acclaimed designer and artist Jon Key answers these questions and manifests the book he and so many others wish they had when they were coming up. He pays tribute to the incredible designers, artists, and people who came before and provides them an enduring, reverential stage - and in so doing, gifts us a book that takes its place among the creative arts canon.

Review Quotes

"I am so thankful that a book like Black, Queer Untold exists. Jon blends his own story as a graphic designer--a Black, queer Southerner after my own heart--as he invites us to reconsider the import of and impact design has on the way we remember and celebrate... This is a book full of love for the many histories that we carry with us at all times, for the many names we might whisper whenever we enter a room." - Jessica Lynne

"Jon Key's Black Queer, and Untold is a beautiful and glowing conduit of queer Black visual and cultural knowledge... Jon's genius as design researcher, writer, artist and book designer is that everything comes from a place of generosity. Y'all need to snap this book up!" - Silas Munro

[STAR] "Exhaustive research and sensitive portrayals reveal new facets of historical works...as well as projects by modern-day artists and designers. The final entry calls on readers to seek out, preserve, and appreciate the contributions of marginalized artists. A thoughtful culmination of research, written with emotional intensity. A necessary purchase." - Library Journal (starred)

"This wildly impressive feat of research outlines a Black, queer history of art and design, dating all the way back to the 19th century. The book also represents author and graphic designer Jon Key's effort to situate himself in the history of American visual culture, from which Black queer contributions have too often been erased." - them

About the Author

Jon(athan) Key is an artist, designer, and writer originally from Seale, Alabama. After receiving his BFA from RISD, Jon began his design career at Grey Advertising in NYC before moving on to work with HBO, Nickelodeon, and The Public Theater. Now he is co-founder of the Brooklyn-based design studio Morcos Key with Wael Morcos. As an educator, Jon has taught at MICA, Parsons, and currently teaches at Cooper Union and SVA. Jon is also a Co-Founder and Design Director of Codify Art, a multidisciplinary collective dedicated to creating, producing, supporting, and showcasing work by artists of color, particularly women, queer, and trans artists of color. Jon was selected for Forbes 30 under 30 Art and Style list for 2020 and was the Frank Staton Chair in Graphic Design at Cooper Union 2018-2019. His work has been featured in Jeffery Deitch Gallery NYC, the Armory Show, The New York Times, and The Atlantic. Jon holds an MA in Design Research, Writing and Criticism from SVA. His writing has been featured in publications such as The Washington Post, The Black Experience in Design and AIGA.

Website: http: //morcoskey.com/
Instagram: @jkey13