Reverberations
Lineages in Design History

Polymode designed a companion catalogue for Reverberations: Lineages in Design History at the Ford Foundation Gallery. Co-curated by Brian Johnson and Silas Munro with curatorial advisors Randa Hadi, Lisa Maione, and Ramon Tejada, and inspired by BIPOC Design History, the project explores how IBPOC/BIPOC designers have shaped visual culture across generations. The exhibition and catalogue amplify the echoes of resistance, resilience, and cultural memory in design practices.

The publication serves as both a scholarly resource and a call to action, tracing overlooked or underrepresented visual lineages and connecting them to the now. It brings artworks from designers and artists working across time, geography, and medium.

The cover design draws from the exhibition’s visual identity, echoing the iridescent foil entryway that prominently displayed the show’s title. The design evokes movement and energy, while the book’s visual language reflects its core metaphor: reverberation as both a sonic and shared experience. Inside, bold typography, layered imagery, and rhythmic pacing guide the reader through interconnected themes of lineage, memory, and futurism. The catalogue expands the reach of the exhibition, offering new ways to see and feel how design reverberates through histories of liberation, self-determination, and collective power.