EMPIRE. NOZONE IX

Welcome to EMPIRE. Billions drink its sodas, listen to its music, breathe its air, drive its cars, smoke its tobacco, practice its religions, watch its movies, ingest its pharmaceuticals, and benefit or suffer from its policies. Every person, animal, and insect on this planet is affected. From the melting ice caps in Antarctica to the defoliated wastelands of Africa, its relentless expansion goes unchecked. But EMPIRE is more than a political reality. It has, in its often elusive way, imbedded itself beneath our skins. It is an aesthetic, a conditioning, a psychology, and a lifestyle. Where does our individuality end, and the EMPIRE begin?At a time of global crisis, Empire rallies a coalition of artists, designers, writers, and photographers to protest the mysterious, all-powerful phenomenon that dominates our civilization.Empire is the first book based on the award-winning alternative political graphic magazine, Nozone. Featuring the best known and freshest unknown designers and cartoonists, this issue includes new work from Charles S. Anderson, Michael Bierut, Art Chantry, Seymour Chwast, Luba Lukova, Christoph Niemann, Stefan Sagmeister, Paul Sahre, and Ward Sutton.Nicholas Blechman is principal of Knickerbocker Design, an illustration and graphic design studio in the meatpacking district of Manhattan. He is publisher of NOZONE and former art director of the New York Times op-ed page. His work has garnered awards from AIGA, American Illustration, Society of Publication Designers, and Art Director's Club.