Dezeen’s Amy Frearson recently spoke with Neville Brody about his new book The Graphic Language of Neville Brody/3, and his thoughts on digital content.

The shift from printed media to digital has led to the death of editorial expression in graphic design, according to British designer Neville Brody.

Brody, a leading figure in graphic design and typography, told Dezeen that digital media has created a fundamental shift “from expressing content to just delivering content”.

“When we shifted from print to digital, I think people just saw it as a material shift,” said the Brody Associates founder. “I don’t think they realised the way we engage with content would shift so dramatically.”

As an agency with many years of experience, we’ve seen this shift happen too. The homogenisation of ‘content’ – especially when delivered via social media platforms – reduces the opportunity for creative expression. Designers have less power than ever before in this area and something like David Carson’s legendary Zapf Dingbats stunt in Ray Gun magazine could never happen these days.