How to write about your work―an expert’s guide to the craft 
Ian Lynam's The Impossibility of Silence is a book for artists, photographers and designers interested in approaching writing about their vocation and culture. Drawing upon decades of experience as a writer, designer, artist and teacher, Lynam offers up a plethora of inspirational and concrete approaches to writing about creative fields. Called "the Hunter S. Thompson of design writing," Lynam uses his industry knowledge to convey his philosophy on writing specifically in a professional creative setting. 
Ian Lynam (born 1972) is faculty and former co-chair at Vermont College of Fine Arts in the MFA Graphic Design program. He writes for Idea, Slanted and Modes of Criticism, is a cofounder of the online journal Néojaponisme and the associated print journal NJP, runs Wordshape, a hybrid type foundry, and is one-half of Corinthians, a Tokyo-based art and design curatorial practice.

The Impossibility of Silence: Writing for Designers, Artists & Photographers

Arts & Photography

Lynam, Ian

History & Criticism

Set Margins' publications

The Failed Painter: Or: Unchained by Material Anxiety

A wide-ranging collection of essays spanning design, decolonization and historyHot on the heels of his books The Impossibility of Silence and The Failed Painter, designer, writer and teacher Ian Lynam's latest body of work is an urgent and impassioned examination of the contemporary condition. War with Myself is a wide-ranging collection of essays spanning design, authenticity, empire, decolonization and history. Originally hailing from New York, Ian Lynam holds a BS in graphic design from Portland State University and an MFA in graphic design from CalArts. He is faculty and former cochair at Vermont College of Fine Arts in the MFA Graphic Design program. Lynam is a cofounder of the critical cultural online journal Néojaponisme and the associated print journal NJP. He is a Mead Show winner and a two-time winner of both the STA 100 and the Asian Pacific Design Awards.

War with Myself: Essays on Design, Culture & Violence

Decorative Arts & Design

Fracture: Japanese Graphic Design 1875–1975

Graphic Design

How to write on your art: a guidebook for artists, designers and photographers Despite the seemingly common expectation that art should be able to speak for itself, creators are often asked to explain the process behind their work, their experiences in their vocation, and, perhaps most dauntingly, the meaning conveyed by any particular piece. Drawing upon his own unique career trajectory across multiple fields as a writer, designer and teacher, Tokyo-based artist Ian Lynam offers readers a variety of approaches to writing about creative fields. Called "the Hunter S. Thompson of design writing," Lynam uses his industry knowledge and sharp sense of humor to convey his philosophy on writing specifically in a professional creative setting. This volume is not so much a straightforward how-to guide on how to write an artist's statement as it is an honest meditation on how difficult--and how important--it is for creators to have the facilities to articulate the ethos behind their own work. Lynam encourages readers to think of the blank page as another sort of canvas, a space of potential, a landscape on which an artist may explore themselves and their work farther than they thought possible. Lynam provides both inspirational text as a jumping-off point for readers as well as concrete techniques in terms of craft.

Onomatopee Projects

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Books by Lynam, Ian