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Contextual Alternate is an independent initiative to archive, generate, and publish critical scholarship at the crossroads of communication, technology, design, and history – and to bring together diverse communities of research and practice.

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Seeking, and drawing upon, a wide variety of outlooks – and with a more direct, hands-on engagement with multiple areas of interest – our ongoing endeavour is to build a richly informed, accessible body of work that cuts across boundaries, and stimulates critical enquiry into new or neglected areas of knowledge.

INDEPENDENT PUBLISHING

Research that can inform more than one area of scholarship and practice, brought directly to you in the form of responsibly-made, high-quality books

EVENTS+EXHIBITIONS

Events and exhibitions that bring fresh perspectives on matters historical and contemporary, with a range of scholars, researchers, and enthusiasts

PRINT+MATERIAL ARCHIVE

A growing collection of printed matter and related artefacts, for a more rigorous engagement with material aspects in developing better-informed histories

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WHAT WE DO

Contextual Alternate publishes books, welcomes articles for its journal, and maintains a modest but growing archive of typographic material to serve as a springboard for new research.

Contextual Alternate is an independent publishing initiative. We aim to generate critical conversations on visual and material cultures across geographical, professional, and disciplinary boundaries. Drawing on a multiplicity of outlooks, and exploring larger themes than are usually acknowledged within histories of design and communication, we aim to address a broad and diverse readership through more widely accessible modes of critical engagement. Countering both the subject matter and the conventional scope of design publishing, we offer books made with care and precision not as fine-printed commodities but as honest and useful instruments in creating and contesting knowledge. 

We publish an eponymous journal – Contextual Alternate – appearing once every year in print. Envisioned as an avenue for constructive dialogue across a wide range of critical concerns, the journal aims to open new directions of enquiry and pave the way for exploration and further collaboration between fields of research that are often thought of as discrete or unconnected.

  ‘Contextual Alternate’ is a typographic term – broadly signifying a substitution of the generic with something specific, or more relevant, by design. It also indicates the ethos of this publishing initiative that aims to engage meaningfully with diverse contexts of communication, and to rigorously examine alternative approaches, multiple perspectives. 

This initiative is subsidised by and run within the means of its publisher, and it sustains entirely on the support of its individual and institutional subscribers.

CREDITS

Editor & publisher
Vaibhav Singh »

Authors and contributors
See the full list »

Illustrations
Poonam Athalye »

Reluctantly also on
Instagram »

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SUPPORT US

Subscribe today to Contextual Alternate to lend your support to our efforts – help us develop & sustain accessible research and scholarship for years to come!

Your support will help us commission new authors and more original research (made widely available through our books and journal) and also keep this website up and running. Support us in bringing new, exciting scholarship to life.

INDIVIDUALS + INSTITUTIONS

Journal subscriptions Recurring payments | Account set-up

YEARLY (INDIVIDUALS)

£30.00 every 12 months

Individuals: renews annually.
One copy of annual journal volumes only for our individual subscribers, shipped worldwide: subscription renews annually and can be cancelled anytime.

Please note: all subscriptions are for the calendar year and start with the current year of the order. Volumes for all previous years can be purchased separately.

Subscribe

YEARLY (INSTITUTIONS)

£75.00 every 12 months

Institutions: renews annually.
One copy of annual journal volumes for our institutional subscribers, shipped worldwide: subscription renews annually and can be cancelled anytime.

Please note: all subscriptions are for the calendar year and start with the current year of the order. Volumes for all previous years can be purchased separately.

Subscribe

YEARLY (BenefactorS)

£150.00 every 12 months

Everyone: renews annually.
A copy of the annual journal+a copy of all the books we publish in the year, shipped worldwide: subscription renews annually and can be cancelled anytime.

Please note: all subscriptions are for the calendar year and start with the current year of the order. Volumes for all previous years can be purchased separately.

Subscribe

Notes-about

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Note: our publications are print-only, and back copies are not included with any of the subscription offers.

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Note: we can also directly invoice for institutional subscriptions, or liaise through your subscription agents.

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Please contact us if you have any questions about our subscription offers or any other related details.

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Ours is a small independent initiative, and we are trying to make a difference working with limited means. If you are able to make a donation to fuel our efforts, we can promise you eternal gratitude (and periodic goodies, though no tax-related benefits).

Donate today

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CONTACT US

Please get in touch using the form on the left if you have any questions regarding the material used on this website.

If you would like to submit an article for our journal, please see our terms and read our guidelines here.

Our event announcements and calls also make their way reluctantly to Instagram where you can contact us for enquiries.