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Another Sagmeister book…
Posted by Patrick Burgoyne, 22 August 2011, 16:04 Permalink Comments (16)
September 1 sees the UK launch of Another Book About Promotion & Sales Material, the latest collection of work by Sagmeister Inc
The book came about after Sagmeister was invited to put on an exhibition of his studio's work at the Mudac (Musée de Design et D'Arts Appliqués Contemporains) in Lausanne in March. Originally the book served as a catalogue to the show but on September 1 it will be published in the UK (in paperback, by Abrams, £26.99) in its own right.
Like the show, the book is divided into four themes around the notion of selling – corporations, culture, my friends and myself. There are essays in both English and German on each topic, one (on selling my friends) written by designer Marian Bantjes, another (on selling corporations) by Joseph V Tripodi of Coca-Cola.
None of the work featured has appeared in either of his previous two books and the book itself was not designed by Sagmeister but, in a classical, restrained style, by a previous intern of his, Martin Woodtli.
The book (and exhibition which will also run at Les Arts Decoratifs in Paris) deals almost entirely with commercial projects and not Sagmeister's self-initiated pieces. Partly, Sagmeister says, this was a reaction to what he feels is a divide in the Swiss design community: "I always thought there was this unbelievable wall between the people who do cultural work and the people who do commercial work there, and the two sides hate each other," he says. "They don't talk to each other. I have spoken to designers who have literally said that if they took on a commercial job, no theatre would look at them again."
So Sagmeister wanted to focus on his studio's more commercial output in an attempt to show that it was possible to span the divide. This emphasis on commissioned work is also, he says "a reflection of our own studio - two, three years ago there was this idea that we were going into the fine art world but I always said 'no'. I've no desire to do so."
That 'idea' was prompted principally by his 2008 New York book and show, Things I Have Learned In My Life So Far. The show attracted a hail of criticism in the comments when we reported on it at the time but also some interesting discussion on distinctions between design and art and Sagmeister's own position. With this book, Sagmeister is restating his position as a designer first and foremost: "I feel very much like a designer, it's what I always wanted to be," he says.
16 Comments
YAWN!!
2011-08-23 14:11:00
I like the use of limited colour and white space, however it does create a slightly odd combination with the classic serif typefac
2011-08-23 17:35:54
[comment deleted by moderator]
2011-08-24 12:24:00
I'm fed up with 'celebrity' designers flogging their own shit.
2011-08-24 15:43:00
jealous.
2011-08-24 16:48:38
You're correct Jennifer.
2011-08-25 09:14:02
to me, hating on sagmeister is the most bizarre thing — he's brilliant.
2011-08-25 11:34:38
Very nice!
2011-08-25 14:30:09
The title and cover make clear the balance of cynicism and humor that appeals to me here, referencing DaVinci as well as the blase fact of, yes, it's just another narcissistic designer catalog. The restraint of the typography also rather humorously, to me, nails the coffin-lid by rendering the presentation a model of precious museummification. The classically "serious" typography (nothing wrong with that, btw) serving even the turds on a silver establishment platter.
Sagmeister kicks butt.
2011-08-25 15:33:08
Sagmeister is just like the raw beef, you have to chew a little more before you swallow. Maybe I'm slower, but I usually prefer designs with the first glance impact. Even so, I'm sure that he has a very special place reserved in this field as well in my preferences.
2011-08-25 19:19:20
It doesn't really matter if you like him or not. He's just trying to do something interesting. Which is the point really. Most designers are just obsessed with wanting to appear cool, I think he just doesn't really care about that. He's trying to break you out of your deluded, small design mind.
I don't think this book is that great. But he does do some really interesting work. He's just not confirming to the herd mentality of conservative design industry.
2011-08-25 23:03:21
Great design. Lovely movement.
Bip.
2011-08-26 00:27:59
How can you hate Sagmeister, he's just brilliant at what he does and loved by so many designers. When his book sales drop, maybe he'll stop producing books, but all the while we continue to buy them why not keep producing? We all would if we could!
2011-08-26 09:18:30
While everyone else is obsessed with style, Sagmeister is obsessed with ideas. A true genius.
2011-08-27 19:39:00
I'll be curious to get my hands on a real version, it's hard to see much from here. Sagmeister is definitely an individual and with that invokes strong opinions.
I thought it was interesting someone's comment on the narcism of publishing a book of your own work. This would be in contrast to a objective study of graphic design say. However the subjectivity of something being all one person's work makes it much more enjoyable to see and to understand some of the thinking behind it.
2011-08-29 18:32:37
Sagmeister is an example of a true designer. His evolution into de design market make him more relevant than a simple hipster designer. The new kind of questions mixing real word of the designers work and the designer soul, questions and relation with an observer of the word of things and relation between art and design work.
2011-10-30 14:00:23
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