Unit Editions
{{Short description|British book publishing company}}
{{Infobox publisher
| image =
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| founded = {{start date and age|2009}}
| founder = Adrian Shaughnessy, Tony Brook, Patricia Finegan
| country = United Kingdom
| headquarters = London
| keypeople =
| publications = Books
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| revenue =
| topics = Design
| distribution =
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| url = https://uniteditions.com
}}
Unit Editions is an independent{{Cite web |last=Heller |first=Steven |date=2014-04-17 |title=The Lost, Surprisingly Soulful Art of Corporate Identity |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2014/04/the-lost-strikingly-soulful-art-of-corporate-identity/360818/ |access-date=2025-05-28 |website=The Atlantic |language=en}} British book publishing company founded in 2009{{Cite web |title=They said books were dead, they were wrong: Adrian Shaughnessy on a decade of Unit Editions |url=https://www.itsnicethat.com/news/opinion-future-of-books-unit-editions-publication-240619 |access-date=2025-05-26 |website=www.itsnicethat.com |language=en}} by writer Adrian Shaughnessy and graphic designers Tony Brook and Patricia Finegan.{{Cite web |title=Unit Editions |url=https://www.itsnicethat.com/articles/2049-unit-editions |access-date=2025-05-28 |website=www.itsnicethat.com |language=en}} Headquartered in London,{{Cite web |date=2009-09-15 |title=Unit Editions Makes Books for Designers – Glyphic |url=https://glyphic.design/unit-editions-makes-books-for-designers/ |access-date=2025-05-26 |language=en}} Unit Editions is known for elaborately produced publications that focus on niche topics in graphic design and visual culture.{{Cite web |last=Petit |first=Zachary |date=2020-11-16 |title=Studio Culture Now: A Guide to Surviving—and Maybe Even Thriving—in an Era of Striving |url=https://www.printmag.com/book-covers/studio-culture-now-a-guide-to-surviving-and-maybe-even-thriving-in-an-era-of-striving/ |access-date=2025-05-26 |website=PRINT Magazine |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |title=Unit Editions |url=https://www.designersandbooks.com/publisher/unit-editions |access-date=2025-05-26 |website=Designers & Books |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Leslie |first=Jeremy |date=2016-07-29 |title=Tony Brook, Spin & Unit Editions |url=https://magculture.com/blogs/journal/tony-brook-spin-studio-unit-editions |access-date=2025-05-26 |website=magCulture |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Muraben |first=Billie |date=2016-11-01 |title=Unit Editions Pushes + Preserves Graphic Design by Publishing Books That Go Against the Mainstream |url=https://eyeondesign.aiga.org/how-unit-editions-pushes-and-preserves-graphic-design-by-going-against-the-mainstream/ |url-status=live |access-date=2025-05-25 |website=AIGA Eye On Design}} Their stated mission is to publish books on “subjects that are either neglected or ignored by mainstream publishers.”{{Cite web |title=About |url=https://uniteditions.com/pages/about-unit-editions |access-date=2025-05-26 |website=Unit Editions}}
Unit Editions distributes books directly to customers, selling about 85% of them through its website,{{Cite web |last=Bøg |first=Sanne |date=2023-01-14 |title=Unit Editions |url=https://boeg.studio/unit-editions/ |access-date=2025-05-26 |website=boeg.studio |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Q42 |first=Fabrique & |title=Unit Editions |url=https://designmuseum.org/exhibitions/beazley-designs-of-the-year/graphics-20xx/unit-editions |access-date=2025-05-26 |website=Design Museum |language=en}} and occasionally employing crowdfunding platforms like Kickstarter and Volume.{{Cite web |date=2022-12-05 |title=Unit Editions crowd-funds new book, System Process Form, from MuirMcNeil studio |url=https://www.creativeboom.com/news/unit-editions-crowd-funds-new-book-system-process-form-from-muirmcneil-studio/ |access-date=2025-05-26 |website=Creative Boom |language=en}} Most of its books are produced in relatively small print runs of 1000–3000 copies, and some titles sell out quickly.{{Cite web |date=2020-02-03 |title=Vaughan Oliver: Archive – a limited reprint by Unit Editions in memory of the legendary designer |url=https://www.creativeboom.com/resources/vaughan-oliver-archive-a-limited-reprint-by-unit-editions-in-memory-of-the-legendary-designer/ |access-date=2025-05-26 |website=Creative Boom |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=How Adrian Shaughnessy and Unit Editions Wrote and Published Pentagram: Living By Design {{!}} Scratching the Surface |url=https://scratchingthesurface.fm/stories/2023-11-16-adrian-shaughnessy/ |access-date=2025-05-26 |website=scratchingthesurface.fm}} The majority of books are designed by Spin Studio, run by the imprint’s co-founder Tony Brook.{{Cite web |date=2019-10-12 |title=TONY BROOK |url=https://curator.site/interviews/tony-brook |access-date=2025-05-26 |website=Curator |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |title=New Unit Editions offering explores combined power of text and imagery |url=https://www.itsnicethat.com/articles/unit-editions-type-plus |access-date=2025-05-28 |website=www.itsnicethat.com |language=en}}
In 2023, British publishing house Thames & Hudson acquired rights to Unit Editions’ past publications and future titles.{{Cite web |title=Unit Editions and Read-Only Memory join Thames & Hudson |url=https://www.thebookseller.com/news/unit-editions-and-read-only-memory-join-thames--hudson |access-date=2025-05-26 |website=The Bookseller |language=En}}
Awards and recognition
Eating with the eyes, a collection of photographs by designer and Pentagram partner Harry Pearce, designed by Pentagram and published by Unit Editions in 2016, won the 2016 D&AD Award.{{Cite web |title=Eating with the eyes {{!}} Pentagram Design Ltd {{!}} Unit Editions {{!}} D&AD Awards 2016 Pencil Winner {{!}} Specialist & Limited Edition Books {{!}} D&AD |url=https://www.dandad.org/awards/professional/2016/book-design/25125/eating-with-the-eyes/ |access-date=2025-05-26 |website=www.dandad.org}} Unit Editions was nominated in the graphic design section of the 'Beazley Designs of the Year' exhibition at London's Design Museum in 2017{{Cite web |last=Q42 |first=Fabrique & |title=Unit Editions |url=https://designmuseum.org/exhibitions/beazley-designs-of-the-year/graphics-20xx/unit-editions |access-date=2023-04-24 |website=Design Museum |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Dawood |first=Sarah |date=2017-10-17 |title=Review: Beazley Designs of the Year 2017 at the Design Museum |url=https://www.designweek.co.uk/issues/16-22-october-2017/review-beazley-designs-year-2017-design-museum/ |access-date=2023-04-24 |website=Design Week |language=en-UK}} and included in Creative Review’s Creative Leaders list in 2018.{{Cite web |date=2017-06-19 |title=Unit Editions |url=https://www.creativereview.co.uk/creativeleaders50/leader/unit/ |access-date=2023-04-24 |website=Creative Review |language=en-UK}}
Published titles
As of 2025, Unit Editions’ imprint includes more than 50 published titles, including monographs on celebrated graphic designers like FHK Henrion,{{Cite web |date=2013-10-02 |title=FHK Henrion - The Complete Designer |url=https://www.designweek.co.uk/issues/october-2013/fhk-henrion-the-complete-designer/ |access-date=2025-05-26 |website=Design Week |language=en-GB}} Lance Wyman,{{Cite web |title=Kickstarter Campaign Hopes to Publish Lance Wyman's Fantastic Diaries |url=https://metropolismag.com/projects/kickstarter-campaign-hopes-to-publish-lance-wymans-fantastic-diaries/ |access-date=2025-05-26 |website=Metropolis |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |date=2016-09-19 |title=Tony Brook on publishing the visual diaries of Lance Wyman |url=https://www.designweek.co.uk/issues/12-18-september-2016/tony-brook-publishing-visual-diaries-lance-wyman/ |access-date=2025-05-26 |website=Design Week |language=en-GB}} Pentagram,{{Cite web |last=TypeRoom |title=Pentagram at 50: Living by design is a two volume compendium to inspire - TypeRoom |url=https://www.typeroom.eu/pentagram-at-50-living-by-design-is-a-two-volume-compendium-to-inspire |access-date=2025-05-26 |website=www.typeroom.eu |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=2025-03-05 |title=New Pentagram book features 1,000 logos its partners designed |url=https://www.designweek.co.uk/new-pentagram-book-features-1000-logos-its-partners-designed/ |access-date=2025-05-26 |website=Design Week |language=en-GB}} Ken Garland,{{Cite web |date=2012-10-25 |title=Ken Garland: Structure and Substance |url=https://www.designweek.co.uk/issues/may-2012/ken-garland-structure-and-substance/ |access-date=2025-05-26 |website=Design Week |language=en-GB}} Herb Lubalin,{{Cite web |title=Unit Editions' superb volume of Herb Lubalin's typography |url=https://www.itsnicethat.com/articles/herb-lubalin-typographer-unit-editions-150616 |access-date=2025-05-26 |website=www.itsnicethat.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=2012-06-12 |title=Unit Editions’ Herb Lubalin monograph |url=https://www.designweek.co.uk/issues/may-2012/unit-editions-herb-lubalin-monograph/ |access-date=2025-05-26 |website=Design Week |language=en-GB}} and Paula Scher.{{Cite web |date=2017-06-27 |title=The exact moment to end a client meeting, whether your client is Bob Dylan or Citibank |url=https://qz.com/1014885/when-exactly-to-end-a-client-meeting-according-to-designer-paula-scher-whether-your-client-is-bob-dylan-or-citibank |access-date=2025-05-26 |website=Quartz |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=2017-04-20 |title=Paula Scher: Works – Unit Editions' new book on the designer's phenomenal career so far |url=https://www.creativeboom.com/resources/paula-scher-works/ |access-date=2025-05-26 |website=Creative Boom |language=en}} Each title published by Unit Editions is identified with a sequential number, usually placed on the book’s copyright page or covers.
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References
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==External links==
- [https://uniteditions.com Official website]
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