How do you design whisky labels for China? Has Bollywood rediscovered the lost art of film posters? Are Brazilian and Russian artists pursuing similar visual styles? Have the glory days of Radio Times covers gone the way of black and white television?
These questions are some of the topics under discussion in the latest issue of the award-winning, quarterly magazine Varoom! which celebrates the cultural, political and social ideas in contemporary illustration from around the world.
With Russia, India, China and Brazil emerging as new economic powers, the magazine examines the aesthetic values and creative entrepreneurial practices that retain their unique individual identity in the global market.
From Brazil, there's a profile on the collage work of Eduardo Recife who has received commissions from New York Times, Volkswagen, and HBO, and Prof Alan Male offers an insightful perspective on China's traditions and trends in commercial illustration.
The glorious renaissance of hand-painted Bollywood posters is the focus of Allan Drummond's article on Indian poster designs whilst Russian pluralism and unique style is explored through the eyes of Victor Melamed, co-founder of the Tzeh Collective , revealing the continuing influences of Constructivism.
The issue also features an interview with cover artist, Cuban-born Edel Rodriguez, former Time magazine Art Director who has also created the specially commissioned cover for this issue, and Chris Martin who talks about brand designing for Johnnie Walker whisky in China. In the field of consumer publishing, Radio Times has remained a firm favourite but Martin Colyer expands the debate on whether the golden years of cover design have long gone or do they remain as inventive as ever.
The magazine includes its regular news round-up sections covering graphic novels, children's books as well as opinion pieces, including regular editorial from Paul Davis. Each issue also features unique centrespread artwork from Marian Bantjes, and a new comic strip from The Guardian cartoonist Tom Gauld.