Transformation Stages of Ukrainian Book Design of "Transitional Period" (1980s–1990s)

The aim of this research is to chronologically determine the stages of transformation of the Ukrainian book design of the transitional period of the 1980s and 1990s and formulate their characteristics. Research methods. In this work comparative and historical, chronological, iconographic, classificational, comparative and typological methods, as well as the method of art-study analysis were used. Scientific novelty. During the research of the topic, it was established that the Ukrainian book design of the two adjacent decades (1980s and 1990s) was qualitatively different. The book of the 1980’s is generally marked by deep artistry, figurative symbolism, a tendency toward creative freedom, man-madeness, and the tradition of graphic techniques and means of expressiveness. Instead, domestic book editions of the 1990’s, influenced by various factors, lost their former guidelines for the art of the book, were marked by excellent updated artistic-figurative characteristics. In particular, analyzed artifacts testify to compositional-architectural simplicity, creative «permissiveness», artistic «imporevishment». In addition, it is worthwhile separating the development period of Ukrainian book design in the second half of the 1990’s, as it was at this time that its active renewal and revival began through the mastering of computer tools. Conclusions. In Ukraine, during the last two decades of the twentieth century, a dynamic transformative of imagery system of the book took place, confirmed by the flexibility of creative concepts of publishing houses and creative principles of masters of the book, according to the time conditions. It is explained that the transformational process in the Ukrainian book design of this period is expediently divided into three main stages: the preparatory stage, limited by the 1980s, includes complex adjustment of the imaginative system of Ukrainian book to future changes being a result of the artist’s suffering from the ideological pressure of power and the attraction to national self-affirmation; the adaptive stage, which lasted conventionally from 1990 to 1995, was mainly formed as a result of the complex gradual mastering of progressive design tools on the background of a new self-awareness of artists; the stabilizing stage, which has been implemented since 1996, finally marking and consolidating numerous modifications in the artistic imagery of book editions (positive, negative and neutral)