Publishing and visual culture: Symbiotic relationships and the impact of technology on publishing strategies and activity

This article analyses the impact of technology on the activity and strategies of publishers within visual culture. Existing publishers, heavily involved with publications in print, are urgently required to adjust their future strategies, while emerging companies are grasping opportunities presented by creating online content, e-books and apps. As in the past, artists and designers have played an important role in the development and innovation of twenty-first century publication design and despite the shift to digital, the printed book is still the predominant product. However, it finds that publishers are creatively using digital media and developing technologies in convergence to promote and take publications to market, whilst also concentrating on generating a more closely connected cultural community of readers, using websites, social media, the gallery and associated live events.