Designing a dictatorship: North Korean graphics – in pictures
Despite its prominent public profile, North Korea remains one of the world’s most enigmatic countries. A new publication from North Korea specialist Nicholas Bonner offers new insight into this isolated, fiercely ideological society by showcasing its visual culture. “Graphic design in North Korea breaks down into traditional elements and contemporary socialist influences,” says Bonner, whose work in the DPRK has spanned film-making and tourism. “The graphics have developed largely independently of the outside world and they now have a much more assured Korean style.” Well-known Korean landmarks provide common motifs, which serve to “imbue products with instantly recognisable ‘Korean-ness’, thereby making them, in their eyes, ‘the best’ – even in the absence of any competition”.
- Made in North Korea is out now on Phaidon