Do We Have To Work?

Thames & Hudson’s “Big Idea” series, investigate subjects like capitalism, democracy, food, new trends, gender and space in a unique way!

Their vibrant, colourful covers enclose a page design that is “presented in a format designed to put readers in the driving seat”, the publisher’s head of illustrated reference, Tristan de Lancey, says.

Pages are laid out using “quick-recognition text hierarchy”. In essence, it’s a kind of choose-your-own-adventure using fonts: paragraphs are set in type of differing sizes depending on their imporance, and so the publisher claims: “If readers have only half an hour to spare they can read all the paragraphs set in the two largest font sizes and still get a basic overview of the subject; alternatively, with two hours at their disposal, they can read the entire text”.

The editions also come with a French flap at the back, which folds out to reveal a handy timeline of key milestones pertinent to the topic, which can be extended and referenced while reading the copy—of whichever size you wish.