Abstract

Literature has a humanizing potential which is especially relevant to young readers in the process of forming their subjectivities. Identifying Design as a mediator for reading and a possible ally in the approximation process between the juvenile audience and literature books, this study aims to explore the role of Design in the contemporary publishing market and in Brazilian public policies aimed at promoting reading. Thus, it presents both quantitative and qualitative analyses of literary books that are part of the biggest Brazilian program for book distribution to school libraries. The categories, organized according to the concepts proposed by Linden, Haslam and Lupton and Phillips, comprise an overview of the relations between textual and visual content in the books for young people and relates the presence of Design elements to the valorization of reader fruition and dialog among the several languages of the book. Research findings indicate that most books do not consider the social role of the young reader and do not explore the possibilities offered by Design. Thus, this research proposes the development of a policy of Design in Reading as a project-oriented activity of interdisciplinary feature, which perceives the reader as both a cultural and social instance.