Ben McKean Design Context Publication
Publication / Editorial
Identity
Typography / Layout
Typeface Prodduction
Design Philosophy
I N T R O
This collection is a contexual publication featuring designers, studios and theorists which relate to my design pracitice. Exploring the contcepts, contexts and content in which these people operate and interpreting their critical thinking has enabled me to question matters relating to my design practice. This has been fundamental to my development. The content is alphabetised and can be navigated using the referance at the bottom of the page. Each entry into this book has been entered for varying reasons, the key at the top left of the left hand page indicates why that particular project has been included and which area of my design practice it relates to. BEN MCKEAN
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A is a name
ACB
APFEL
Atelier TĂŠlescopique
Bache Garde
Barnbrook, Jonathan
Bibliotheque
Bierut, Michael
Bleed
Colophon
Coop
Crouwel, Wim
Dalton Maag
Ee
Esterton, Simon
Experimental Jetset
Heydays
Helfend, Jessica
Hort
HVD Fonts
Julia
Keller Maurer Design
Korczak, Kasia
Lineto
57
59
61
63
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67
69
71
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77
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81
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103
Losowsky, Andrew
Lupton, Ellen
Maag, Bruno
Main Studio
Monika
Munari, Bruno
Node
Non-Format
Onlab
Poynor, Rick
R2
Rams, Dieter
Remake
Rumors
Salut Public
Shaughnessy, Adrian
Spiekermann, Erik
Spin
Studio Laucke Siebein
Toko
Tom Sharp
Useful
Wood McGrath
Working Format
C O N T E N T S
Lineto
Korczak, Kasia
Keller Maurer Design
Julia
HVD Fonts
Hort
Helfend, Jessica
Heydays
Experimental Jetset
Esterton, Simon
Ee
Dalton Maag
Crouwel, Wim
Coop
Colophon
Bleed
Bierut, Michael
Bibliotheque
Barnbrook, Jonathan
Bache Garde
Atelier Télescopique
APFEL
ACB
08 A is a name
Based Paris
Founded 2006
Founders Simon Renaud Jérémie Nuel
A I S A N A M E
Design disciplines Editorial / Books Typeface Design
Featured Projects Musiques volantes Kult Original Marketing Label Night
Publication / Editorial
Identity
Typography / Layout
Typeface Prodduction
Design Philosophy
Working Format
Wood McGrath
Useful
Tom Sharp
Toko
Studio Laucke Siebein
Spin
Spiekermann, Erik
Shaughnessy, Adrian
Salut Public
Rumors
Remake
Rams, Dieter
R2
Poynor, Rick
Onlab
Non-Format
Node
Munari, Bruno
Monika
Main Studio
Maag, Bruno
Lupton, Ellen
Losowsky, Andrew
10
Lineto
Korczak, Kasia
Keller Maurer Design
Julia
HVD Fonts
Hort
Helfend, Jessica
Heydays
Experimental Jetset
Esterton, Simon
Ee
Dalton Maag
Crouwel, Wim
Coop
Colophon
Bleed
Bierut, Michael
Bibliotheque
Barnbrook, Jonathan
Bache Garde
Atelier T茅lescopique
APFEL
ACB
A is a name
Based The Hague Founded 2005
Founders Kai Bernau Susana Carvalho
Design disciplines Books Typeface Design Featured Projects Pr贸prio
Publication / Editorial
Identity
Typography / Layout
Typeface Prodduction
Design Philosophy
Working Format
Wood McGrath
Useful
Tom Sharp
Toko
Studio Laucke Siebein
Spin
Spiekermann, Erik
Shaughnessy, Adrian
Salut Public
Rumors
Remake
Rams, Dieter
R2
Poynor, Rick
Onlab
Non-Format
Node
Munari, Bruno
Monika
Main Studio
Maag, Bruno
Lupton, Ellen
Losowsky, Andrew
A C B
12
Lineto
Korczak, Kasia
Keller Maurer Design
Julia
HVD Fonts
Hort
Helfend, Jessica
Heydays
Experimental Jetset
Esterton, Simon
Ee
Dalton Maag
Crouwel, Wim
Coop
Colophon
Bleed
Bierut, Michael
Bibliotheque
Barnbrook, Jonathan
Bache Garde
Atelier TĂŠlescopique
APFEL
ACB
A is a name
Based London
Founded 2003
Founders Kirsty Carter Emma Thomas
Design disciplines Exhibition Identity Books
Featured Projects Post Modernis: Style and Subversion
Publication / Editorial
Identity
Typography / Layout
Typeface Prodduction
Design Philosophy
Working Format
Wood McGrath
Useful
Tom Sharp
Toko
Studio Laucke Siebein
Spin
Spiekermann, Erik
Shaughnessy, Adrian
Salut Public
Rumors
Remake
Rams, Dieter
R2
Poynor, Rick
Onlab
Non-Format
Node
Munari, Bruno
Monika
Main Studio
Maag, Bruno
Lupton, Ellen
Losowsky, Andrew
A P F E L
14
Lineto
Korczak, Kasia
Keller Maurer Design
Julia
HVD Fonts
Hort
Helfend, Jessica
Heydays
Experimental Jetset
Esterton, Simon
Ee
Dalton Maag
Crouwel, Wim
Coop
Colophon
Bleed
Bierut, Michael
Bibliotheque
Barnbrook, Jonathan
Bache Garde
Atelier Télescopique
APFEL
ACB
A is a name
Based Lille
A T
Founded 1998 Personnel Stéphane Meurice Sébastien Delobel Xavier Meurice Baptiste Servais Jérémie Perrin Design disciplines Typeface Design Identity Exhibition
Featured Projects Tomica
Publication / Editorial
Identity
Typography / Layout
Typeface Prodduction
Design Philosophy
Working Format
Wood McGrath
Useful
Tom Sharp
Toko
Studio Laucke Siebein
Spin
Spiekermann, Erik
Shaughnessy, Adrian
Salut Public
Rumors
Remake
Rams, Dieter
R2
Poynor, Rick
Onlab
Non-Format
Node
Munari, Bruno
Monika
Main Studio
Maag, Bruno
Lupton, Ellen
Losowsky, Andrew
16
Lineto
Korczak, Kasia
Keller Maurer Design
Julia
HVD Fonts
Hort
Helfend, Jessica
Heydays
Experimental Jetset
Esterton, Simon
Ee
Dalton Maag
Crouwel, Wim
Coop
Colophon
Bleed
Bierut, Michael
Bibliotheque
Barnbrook, Jonathan
Bache Garde
Atelier Télescopique
APFEL
ACB
A is a name
Based Stockholm
Founders Marcus Gärde Linnéa Bach Gärde Design disciplines Books Editorial Identity
Featured Projects Nya Upplagan
B A C H G A R D E Publication / Editorial
Identity
Typography / Layout
Typeface Prodduction
Design Philosophy
Working Format
Wood McGrath
Useful
Tom Sharp
Toko
Studio Laucke Siebein
Spin
Spiekermann, Erik
Shaughnessy, Adrian
Salut Public
Rumors
Remake
Rams, Dieter
R2
Poynor, Rick
Onlab
Non-Format
Node
Munari, Bruno
Monika
Main Studio
Maag, Bruno
Lupton, Ellen
Losowsky, Andrew
Publication / Editorial
Identity
Typography / Layout
Typeface Prodduction
Design Philosophy
Tips for being a good typographer: 1 Proper understanding of what the different punctuation marks and other special characters do. 2 Correct use of spacing. Kerning is important but wordspacing is by far the most important for good comprehension of text. 3 A clear wayfinding system for titles, subheadings, page numbers etc that doesn’t change and then confuse people. 4 An understanding of the different technologies that the work will be used on.
Lineto
Korczak, Kasia
Keller Maurer Design
Julia
HVD Fonts
Hort
Helfend, Jessica
Heydays
Experimental Jetset
Esterton, Simon
Ee
Dalton Maag
Crouwel, Wim
Coop
Colophon
Bleed
Bierut, Michael
Bibliotheque
Barnbrook, Jonathan 18
Bache Garde
Atelier TĂŠlescopique
APFEL
ACB
A is a name
JONATHAN BARNBROOK
Working Format
Wood McGrath
Useful
Tom Sharp
Toko
Studio Laucke Siebein
Spin
Spiekermann, Erik
Shaughnessy, Adrian
Salut Public
Rumors
Remake
Rams, Dieter
R2
Poynor, Rick
Onlab
Non-Format
Node
Munari, Bruno
Monika
Main Studio
Maag, Bruno
Lupton, Ellen
Losowsky, Andrew
Lineto
Korczak, Kasia
Keller Maurer Design
Julia
HVD Fonts
Hort
Helfend, Jessica
Heydays
Experimental Jetset
Esterton, Simon
Ee
Dalton Maag
Crouwel, Wim
Coop
Colophon
Bleed
Bierut, Michael
20 Bibliotheque
Barnbrook, Jonathan
Bache Garde
Atelier TĂŠlescopique
APFEL
ACB
A is a name
Based London
Founded 2003 Founders Jon Jeffrey Mason Wells Tim Beard
B I B T H E
Design disciplines Identity Exhibition
Featured Projects Contemporary Applied Arts
Publication / Editorial
Identity
Typography / Layout
Typeface Prodduction
Design Philosophy
Working Format
Wood McGrath
Useful
Tom Sharp
Toko
Studio Laucke Siebein
Spin
Spiekermann, Erik
Shaughnessy, Adrian
Salut Public
Rumors
Remake
Rams, Dieter
R2
Poynor, Rick
Onlab
Non-Format
Node
Munari, Bruno
Monika
Main Studio
Maag, Bruno
Lupton, Ellen
Losowsky, Andrew
L I O Q U E
Publication / Editorial
Identity
Typography / Layout
Typeface Prodduction
Design Philosophy
Seven Things Designers Can Learn from Stand Up Comics
Lineto
Korczak, Kasia
Keller Maurer Design
Julia
HVD Fonts
Hort
Helfend, Jessica
Heydays
Experimental Jetset
Coop
Colophon
Bleed
22 Bierut, Michael
Bibliotheque
Barnbrook, Jonathan
Bache Garde
Atelier Télescopique
APFEL
ACB
A is a name
3. Respect your audience. Chris Rock says: “A lot of comedians have great jokes,
5. Honor your craft. One striking running theme of “Talking Funny” is that each of the comics works extremely hard, creating challenges where they might just as easily coast. Chris Rock reinvents his entire show every year. Louis C.K. regularly takes his closing bit — the strongest part of his show — moves it to the beginning, and forces himself to create a new show designed to top the old climax. Ricky Gervais says, “Oh, it’s not just being funny. It’s being proud of your stuff and doing things that other people couldn’t do.” Louis C.K. adds that, for him, “Easy laughs, cheap laughs, they don’t exist.” Chris Rock: “How many unfunny comedians have ever sustained a career not being funny?” Mastery of craft is tied to perpetual self-improvement. And, just as in design,
Esterton, Simon
Once you’ve mastered the basics, make your work your own. “Do you think you have to have a thing?” asks Ricky Gervais.”Well, you’ve gotta figure something out,” responds Seinfeld. Between all the “things” and “somethings,” we know exactly what they’re talking about. Every successful comedian is different. The best have an immediately identifiable attitude, whether it’s Henny Youngman, Demetri Martin, or the four participants in “Talking Funny.” The best designers are no different. Think of how many ways there are to design something like, say, a Vladimir Nabokov book cover. A good designer is a problem solver. A great designer can figure out a way to solve a problem that’s completely unique. At one point, Seinfeld tells a Louis C.K. joke his way, and asks, “Is that how it goes?” Louis CK replies, “Well, that’s a completely Seinfelded version. You made it...nice.” It’s one of my favorite parts of the show.
4. Know your tools. The tools of a stand up comic are words. Some are good for every job. Some are more powerful and should be used sparingly. All of them are potentially crutches. Louis C.K. says that Jerry Seinfeld once told him, “The F word is like a Corvette.” “And I thought,” says Louis C.K., “that means that it’s fast and it’s cool and it’s got power and thrust to it. But then I thought, wait a minute, this guy grew up on Long Island and collected Porsches. So to him, a Corvette is a piece of shit, with a Chevy engine, just a flashy bullshit car.” Your own favorite tool may be a typeface, or a Photoshop effect, or a certain color combination. Seinfeld says he stopped using the F word when he realized it had become a crutch. Of course, one man’s crutch is another man’s secret weapon. Or, as Louis C.K. observes, “Where I grew up, a Corvette is an awesome car.”
Ee
It’s all about the basics. “I love jokes so much,” says Jerry Seinfeld towards the beginning of the show. “I love them so much.” He loves them because they’re the indestructible building blocks of comedy. The others agree. “So many of these young guys think it’s all attitude,” says Chris Rock. “But you have to have jokes under your weird persona, under your crazy glasses, under your crazy voice.” Design has basic building blocks too: scale, proportion, hierarchy, contrast. Get those right first. Or, as Seinfeld concludes: “You can put in all kinds of furniture, but you have to have steel in the walls.”
Dalton Maag
And please note, they have nothing to do with being funny.
and they’re like, ‘Why is this not working?’ It’s not working because the audience doesn’t understand the premise. If I set this premise up right, this joke will always work.” The comics talk about ensuring the audience — so demanding, so easily distracted — is with them for every joke during the act. This doesn’t mean talking down or pandering. Rather, it’s good old-fashioned respect. I sometimes tell students that every design needs a welcome mat and a doorknob. The first helps a person realize, “Hey, this is for me.” The second gives them a way into the design. Good design, like good comedy, is about surprise. But surprise can’t happen in a vacuum. It needs a context that establishes familiarity. If you respect your audience, you provide that context.
Crouwel, Wim
The premise of HBO’s hour-long special “Talking Funny” is simple: invite four top-ranked comedians — Ricky Gervais, Jerry Seinfeld, Chris Rock and Louis C.K. — turn on the cameras, and let them talk shop for an hour. There are laughs, of course, but the most interesting parts focus on the technical craft of getting those laughs. This is serious business. Stand up comedy is a high-risk creative enterprise, executed in real time in front of a critical audience. I didn’t tune in looking for lessons for designers, but I found seven.
mere technique is never enough. Louis C.K. is nervous when he feels he’s relying on technical skill. “This bit is working because I know how to do stand up, not because it’s something that’s important to me.” Hone your skills, but make certain they serve ends that are important to you. 6. Don’t be afraid of failure. Good comedians experiment constantly. Every time they test a new joke, they risk bombing. That’s why they’ll try out new material in smaller venues, polishing pieces in front of live audiences: they need to hear what’s working and what’s not working. Seinfeld admits that when he was starting out, “I was hitting 500. I would have a good show and a bad show, a good show and a bad show.” His very first show was bad. “But success wasn’t my objective.” He was desperate to simply be on stage, and was willing to risk failure every other night to get there. Designers take risks for the same reasons. Trying something new means not being sure of the outcome. But it’s the only way that anyone working in a creative field can hope to make progress. Ambition is a strong enough antidote to fear. Louis C.K. remembers how he idolized good comics: “I wanted to be one of them, and I didn’t care if I sucked at it.” 7. Finally, never forget you have a special gift. Ricky Gervais, in a revealing moment, asks, “Don’t you ever think, when we make people have this feeling of laughter,
and they pay us money: what if they discover they can do it themselves?” The other comics are rather stunned at this. Seinfeld shouts, “But they can do it themselves!” Gervais, almost glumly asks, “Then why are they paying us?” Louis C.K. answers, “We’re a high octane version of it. We’re pros. They can play touch football, too.” And Seinfeld adds: “But that doesn’t hurt the NFL.” We live at a time when the tools of design are more available than ever before. What client doesn’t have a nephew who knows InDesign, or, better still, a spouse with a newly discovered enthusiasm for Powerpoint? Graphic design: anyone can do it, right? Well, yes. But the professionals still understand what it means to do something well. And that confidence makes its own statement. Near the end of the show, Chris Rock talks about what a pleasure it is to watch anyone do anything really well, even a great truck driver. “I just saw this guy park an 18-wheeler into this narrow space,” he says. “And I said I guarantee you there’s heart surgery that’s not as hard as what this guy just did.” Louis agreed. “I watched a guy pull into a loading dock, and I stopped and said, ‘That was amazing.’ And he was like, ‘Yeah, I know, I know.’” If you’re a designer, it’s easy to forget that what you do is, in so many ways, amazing. Appreciate that gift in yourself. Appreciate the gifts of others. And look for lessons wherever you can find them.
Working Format
Wood McGrath
Useful
Tom Sharp
Toko
Studio Laucke Siebein
Spin
Spiekermann, Erik
Shaughnessy, Adrian
Salut Public
Rumors
Remake
Rams, Dieter
R2
Poynor, Rick
Onlab
Non-Format
Node
Munari, Bruno
Monika
Main Studio
Maag, Bruno
Lupton, Ellen
Losowsky, Andrew
MICHAEL BIERUT
Lineto
Korczak, Kasia
Keller Maurer Design
Julia
HVD Fonts
Hort
Helfend, Jessica
Heydays
Experimental Jetset
Esterton, Simon
Ee
Dalton Maag
Crouwel, Wim
Coop
Colophon
24 Bleed
Bierut, Michael
Bibliotheque
Barnbrook, Jonathan
Bache Garde
Atelier TĂŠlescopique
APFEL
ACB
A is a name
Based Oslo
Founded 2000
Founders Svein Haakon Lia Dag Solhaung Laska
Design disciplines Identity Art Direction Exhibition
Featured Projects Aker Brygge
Publication / Editorial
Identity
Typography / Layout
Typeface Prodduction
Design Philosophy
3 Share ideas 8 Keep learning
4 Have fun 9 Collaborate
5 Believe the hype 10 Bleed for the revolution!
Working Format
7 Be nice
Wood McGrath
2 Take chances
Useful
6 Move in different directions
Tom Sharp
1 Be different
Toko
Studio Laucke Siebein
Spin
Spiekermann, Erik
Shaughnessy, Adrian
Salut Public
Rumors
Remake
Rams, Dieter
R2
Poynor, Rick
Onlab
Non-Format
Node
Munari, Bruno
Monika
Main Studio
Maag, Bruno
Lupton, Ellen
Losowsky, Andrew
B L E E D
BLEED MANIFESTO
Lineto
Korczak, Kasia
Keller Maurer Design
Julia
HVD Fonts
Hort
Helfend, Jessica
Heydays
Experimental Jetset
Esterton, Simon
Ee
Dalton Maag
Crouwel, Wim
Coop
26 Colophon
Bleed
Bierut, Michael
Bibliotheque
Barnbrook, Jonathan
Bache Garde
Atelier TĂŠlescopique
APFEL
ACB
A is a name
Brighton
Based
Founded ###
Founders Anthony Sheret Edd Harrington
Design disciplines Typeface Design
Featured Projects Central Avenue Specimen Apercu Specimen
Publication / Editorial
Identity
Typography / Layout
Typeface Prodduction
Design Philosophy
Working Format
Wood McGrath
Useful
Tom Sharp
Toko
Studio Laucke Siebein
Spin
Spiekermann, Erik
Shaughnessy, Adrian
Salut Public
Rumors
Remake
Rams, Dieter
R2
Poynor, Rick
Onlab
Non-Format
Node
Munari, Bruno
Monika
Main Studio
Maag, Bruno
Lupton, Ellen
Losowsky, Andrew
C O L O P H O N
Lineto
Korczak, Kasia
Keller Maurer Design
Julia
HVD Fonts
Hort
Helfend, Jessica
Heydays
Experimental Jetset
Esterton, Simon
Ee
Dalton Maag
Crouwel, Wim
28 Coop
Colophon
Bleed
Bierut, Michael
Bibliotheque
Barnbrook, Jonathan
Bache Garde
Atelier TĂŠlescopique
APFEL
ACB
A is a name
Australia
Based Founded 2004
Founders Paul Marcus Fuog
Design disciplines Identity Editorial / Book Exhibition
Featured Projects State of Design Festival Desktop Magazine Fontanel
Publication / Editorial
Identity
Typography / Layout
Typeface Prodduction
Design Philosophy
Working Format
Wood McGrath
Useful
Tom Sharp
Toko
Studio Laucke Siebein
Spin
Spiekermann, Erik
Shaughnessy, Adrian
Salut Public
Rumors
Remake
Rams, Dieter
R2
Poynor, Rick
Onlab
Non-Format
Node
Munari, Bruno
Monika
Main Studio
Maag, Bruno
Lupton, Ellen
Losowsky, Andrew
C O Ă– P
Publication / Editorial
Identity
Typography / Layout
Typeface Prodduction
Design Philosophy
The use of grids in graphic design was more or less developed by the Swiss designers Max Bill, Karl Gerstner and, of course, Josef Müller-Brockmann, who wrote a book on the subject of grids. They influenced me a lot. The grid is a way to structure typography, and I couldn’t work without one. Even today, with the latest book I have designed, I designed the grid after carefully considering the text, and the illustrations, the number of pages, and so on. For me, a catalogue or a book is a kind of three-dimensional grid. Everything that’s on a certain page relates to something on another page. So, a grid is a method to bring structure into your work, and it’s just a question of lines that follow the typographic system, and the ‘point system’ that you want to use. For instance, for the Stedelijk Museum, I always used 8-point type with 4-point line space. So you place your typography within this grid. You have the possibility of two columns, three columns or five solumns. This means that you could be very flexible so that one catalogue is not like another, but you could see they are a family, and related to each other. Especially when you use the same typeface, and your illustrations fit into the grid, which relates to sizes within the grid, either the height or the width.
Lineto
Korczak, Kasia
Keller Maurer Design
Julia
HVD Fonts
Hort
Helfend, Jessica
Heydays
Experimental Jetset
Esterton, Simon
Ee
Dalton Maag
30 Crouwel, Wim
Coop
Colophon
Bleed
Bierut, Michael
Bibliotheque
Barnbrook, Jonathan
Bache Garde
Atelier Télescopique
APFEL
ACB
A is a name
WIM CROUWEL
Working Format
Wood McGrath
Useful
Tom Sharp
Toko
Studio Laucke Siebein
Spin
Spiekermann, Erik
Shaughnessy, Adrian
Salut Public
Rumors
Remake
Rams, Dieter
R2
Poynor, Rick
Onlab
Non-Format
Node
Munari, Bruno
Monika
Main Studio
Maag, Bruno
Lupton, Ellen
Losowsky, Andrew
Lineto
Korczak, Kasia
Keller Maurer Design
Julia
HVD Fonts
Hort
Helfend, Jessica
Heydays
Experimental Jetset
Esterton, Simon
Ee
32 Dalton Maag
Crouwel, Wim
Coop
Colophon
Bleed
Bierut, Michael
Bibliotheque
Barnbrook, Jonathan
Bache Garde
Atelier TĂŠlescopique
APFEL
ACB
A is a name
Based London
Founded 1991
Founders Bruno Maag Liz Dalton
Design disciplines Typeface Design
Featured Projects Nokia Pure
Publication / Editorial
Identity
Typography / Layout
TypefaceProdduction Prodduction Typeface
Design Philosophy
D A M A
Working Format
Wood McGrath
Useful
Tom Sharp
Toko
Studio Laucke Siebein
Spin
Spiekermann, Erik
Shaughnessy, Adrian
Salut Public
Rumors
Remake
Rams, Dieter
R2
Poynor, Rick
Onlab
Non-Format
Node
Munari, Bruno
Monika
Main Studio
Maag, Bruno
Lupton, Ellen
Losowsky, Andrew
L T O N A G
Lineto
Korczak, Kasia
Keller Maurer Design
Julia
HVD Fonts
Hort
Helfend, Jessica
Heydays
Experimental Jetset
Esterton, Simon
34 Ee
Dalton Maag
Crouwel, Wim
Coop
Colophon
Bleed
Bierut, Michael
Bibliotheque
Barnbrook, Jonathan
Bache Garde
Atelier TĂŠlescopique
APFEL
ACB
A is a name
Based Ljubljana
E e Design disciplines Print / Book Publication Website Featured Projects Glej
Publication / Editorial
Identity
Typography / Layout
Typeface Prodduction
Design Philosophy
Working Format
Wood McGrath
Useful
Tom Sharp
Toko
Studio Laucke Siebein
Spin
Spiekermann, Erik
Shaughnessy, Adrian
Salut Public
Rumors
Remake
Rams, Dieter
R2
Poynor, Rick
Onlab
Non-Format
Node
Munari, Bruno
Monika
Main Studio
Maag, Bruno
Lupton, Ellen
Losowsky, Andrew
Publication / Editorial
Identity
Typography / Layout
Typeface Prodduction
Design Philosophy
Is graphic design important? Above a certain Plimsoll line of survivability it becomes special, enriching, engaging and can be fun. Below that line, it’s one of the things that could go really, isn’t it? Even information design; everybody can get a bit of chalk and mark and arrow on a wall - mammoths this way, tigers that way, you know.
Lineto
Korczak, Kasia
Keller Maurer Design
Julia
HVD Fonts
Hort
Helfend, Jessica
Heydays
Experimental Jetset
36 Esterton, Simon
Ee
Dalton Maag
Crouwel, Wim
Coop
Colophon
Bleed
Bierut, Michael
Bibliotheque
Barnbrook, Jonathan
Bache Garde
Atelier Télescopique
APFEL
ACB
A is a name
SIMON ESTERTON
Working Format
Wood McGrath
Useful
Tom Sharp
Toko
Studio Laucke Siebein
Spin
Spiekermann, Erik
Shaughnessy, Adrian
Salut Public
Rumors
Remake
Rams, Dieter
R2
Poynor, Rick
Onlab
Non-Format
Node
Munari, Bruno
Monika
Main Studio
Maag, Bruno
Lupton, Ellen
Losowsky, Andrew
Lineto
Korczak, Kasia
Keller Maurer Design
Julia
HVD Fonts
Hort
Helfend, Jessica
Heydays
38 Experimental Jetset
Esterton, Simon
Ee
Dalton Maag
Crouwel, Wim
Coop
Colophon
Bleed
Bierut, Michael
Bibliotheque
Barnbrook, Jonathan
Bache Garde
Atelier TĂŠlescopique
APFEL
ACB
A is a name
Publication / Editorial
Identity
Typography / Layout
Typeface Prodduction
Design Philosophy
There are many reasons why we use Helvetica. Each is very different and sometimes seemingly contradictory, and they slowly but constantly change. Some of these reasons may be hard to follow, but we like to believe that it is exactly the complicated nature of our reasoning that, paradoxically, makes our designs so practical and clear. One of these reasons involves Helvetica’s neutrality. Of course, we fully realise that no typeface is neutral, and that Helvetica’s objectivity is a myth. But it is exactly this myth that turned Helvetica into one of the most widely used typefaces in the first place. So it is fair to speak of a myth that created its own reality. In that sense, Helvetica’s neutrality resembles a self-fulfulling prophecy. This neutrality, real or imagined, enablesus and the user to fully focus on the design as a whole, neutralising the typographic layer as a way to keep the concept clear and pure as possible. There are cases, however, where for specific reasons, the concept demands a less neutral typographic layer. In those cases we never hesitate to use other typefaces. But those cases are rare.
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EXPERIMENTAL JETSET
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Keller Maurer Design
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40 Heydays
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Dalton Maag
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Atelier TĂŠlescopique
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ACB
A is a name
Oslo
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Founded 2008 Founders Mathias Haddal Hovet Lars Kjelsnes Martin Sanne Kristiansen Thomas Lein Stein Henrik Haugen
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Design Philosophy
Graphic design is the most ubiquitous of all the arts. It responds to needs at once personal and public, embraces concerns both economic and ergonomic, and is informed by many disciplines, including art and architecture, philosophy and ethics, literature and language, science and politics and performance. Graphic design is everywhere, touching everything we do, everything we see, everything we buy: we see it on billboards and in Bibles, on taxi receipts and on websites, on birth certificates and on gift certificates, on the folded circulars inside jars of aspirin and on the thick pages of children’s chubby board books. Graphic design is the boldly directional arrows on street signs and the blurred, frenetic typography on the title sequence to E.R. It is the bright green logo for the New York Jets and the monochromatic front page of the Wall Street Journal. It is hang-tags in clothing stores, postage stamps and food packaging, fascist propaganda posters and brainless junk mail. Graphic design is complex combinations of words and pictures, numbers and charts, photographs and illustrations that, in order to succeed, demands the clear thinking of a particularly thoughtful individual who can orchestrate these elements so they all add up to something distinctive, or useful, or playful, or surprising, or subversive or somehow memorable. Graphic design is a popular art and a practical art, an applied art and an ancient art. Simply put, it is the art of visualizing ideas.
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JESSICA HELFEND
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Berlin
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H O R T
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Based Berlin Founded 2005
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London
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J U L I A
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50 Keller Maurer Design
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Based Munich Founded 2002
Founders Martina Keller Marcus Maurer
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K M D
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One should construct design just as nature constructs a plant. It should be adapted accordingly − since it is living and growing − to the needs of the moment and of the place.
KASIA KORCZAK
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Based Switzerland Founded 1993
Stephan Müller
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L I N E T O
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Already sent out have been Pin-Up (“architectural entertainment”), Meatpaper (“documenting the fleischgeist”), Megawords (“a non-commercial record of place and human experience”), d[x]i from Spain (“culture and post-design”), a mini magazine from Little White Lies in the U.K. (“getting under the skin of cinema”), an infographic sheet from GOOD magazine, and, in our latest mailing, Embrocation (“the essence of cycling”) and Put A Egg On It (“tasty zine”).
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We also guarantee not to repeat a title for at least a year. There are thousands of unusual magazines out there, and we’re dedicated to rooting out the best and sharing them with an audience hungry for fresh inspiration.
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And all those different magazines… do readers know what they’re going to receive or is it always a surprise?
We look for magazines that are at least as good as, if not better than, the mainstream in their design and journalism. These are the bleeding edge of publishing, created by passionate people who aren’t afraid to experiment, to push the boundaries of what’s possible in print. The slogan for Stack is “Magazines that matter”—and for anyone in the creative industries, that’s exactly what they are. No magazine pays to be sent out as part of Stack—in fact, we pay for every copy, direct from the publisher. Our reputation has been built upon our independence and the quality of our selection.
Esterton, Simon
Stack began in London in December 2008, as a way to introduce independent magazines to new audiences. [Founder] Steven Watson was originally inspired to start Stack by a T-shirt subscription service run by momimomi. I got to know Steven at the Colophon Biennale in 2009. We stayed in touch, and he mentioned that he had come across many interesting American publications that he couldn’t feature, because the shipping costs were just too high—also, the cost of sending Stack to American subscribers was expensive. So we started to talk about setting up an American edition. Stack America launched in December 2009, and so far we’ve sent out eight different magazines in four bimonthly mailings.
What are some of the magazines you carry and what makes them Stack-worthy?
Ee
How did the idea for Stack America come about?
We also include in each mailing an exclusive print from our Designers Series. Prominent magazine designers, editors, typographers and illustrators create an image available only for our subscribers, reflecting on the medium of magazines. Participants so far include Robert Newman (Fortune, Real Simple, New York), Jeremy Leslie (Time Out, John Brown Media, magculture.com) and Cyrus Highsmith (typographer for Martha Stewart Living, Rolling Stone, Wall Street Journal).
Dalton Maag
There’s something indescribably wonderful about a smart, beautifully designed printed publication that has something to say and says it well. No matter how exciting the iPad’s potential for storytelling might be, there is still value in the bound experience of magazines when assembled by thoughtful editors and talented designers. For them magazines are a labor of love, and for their readers a pleasure to behold. Here to champion those efforts is Andrew Losowsky, an editor and journalist whose passion for publications can be summed up by the titles of his books We Love Magazines (2007) and We Make Magazines (2009). With Stack America—a subscriptionbased service that delivers a care package of creative, independent magazines and related ephemera six times a year—Losowsky is using an old-fashioned model in a novel way to bring unique print experiences to audiences. The former editorial director of Le Cool, in-the-know guides to cultural events in European cities; the co-curator of Colophon, the independent magazine biennale; and the author of the blog Magtastic Blogsplosion, Losowsky is uniquely qualified for the job. He recently answered some questions about what makes for a meaningful magazine experience, whether magazines can be sustainable and how the internet is good for print.
Think of it like a curated magazine club: in each mailing Stack America sends out at least one piece of remarkable, independent publishing, along with other unusual magazinerelated ephemera. The hope is that, if you love one of the magazines, you’ll subscribe, spread the word and help keep great independent magazines alive. Each envelope is a surprise, containing fresh perspectives and new ways of storytelling.
Crouwel, Wim
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Andrew Losowsky: Interview on Magazines
How do you deal with unpredictable publication schedules and the growing death rate of magazines today?
Publishers, however, are having to rethink how they make money, how digital fits into their workflow, and how to commission pieces with two concurrent media in mind. New technology isn’t ever inherently bad or good—it’s always about how an affected industry reacts to it. At first, the web was seen as a bad thing, until publishers realized that it was probably the best subscription tool ever invented.
We’re only sending out a single issue of a magazine each time, so it hasn’t been a problem. So far, all the publications Stack America has sent out are still in business—perhaps we’re a good-luck charm! Are there any differences you’ve noticed in European subscribers versus American ones?
As for tablets, right now it’s too early to say for sure what the impact on conventional publishing will be. Interesting times, though.
One difference is the distances involved. In much of Europe, the majority of people live within reach of a major cosmopolitan city, whereas population centers in the United States and Canada are far more spread out. However, there’s definitely a similar hunger for creativity and inspiration in print on both sides of the Atlantic—which is why, coupled with the magic and mystery of a curated service, our subscribers eagerly await every mailing.
What about from a sustainability perspective? There are costs (environmental, financial) associated with printing and shipping, and often there’s a lot of waste in magazine production. Is sustainability something you consider in both your business model and in your choice of magazines (for instance, are you looking at publishers using soy-based inks, recycled paper, etc.)?
Waiting is such a foreign concept today. Why should people still be interested in magazines when we can get an almost-constant stream of information and visual stimulation online?
There are indeed environmental and fiscal costs associated with any product, including digital, where the environmental costs associated with the generation of electricity to power server hosting and the recharging of electric devices, as well as biodegradability of computer parts, should also be taken into account.
Today we all consume a mix of media, both digital and physical, and I don’t see that changing, at least for a while. The best magazines that choose to stay in print are those that do so for a reason—to have a physical presence in our lives, to make the most of being a curated object, to make something that readers will keep and return to, to create something that will sit boldly on the coffee table.
We firmly believe in alternative, less impactful materials including soy-based inks and recycled paper; we used partrecycled, sustainably sourced paper for all our materials. However, we haven’t as yet refused a publisher because of the materials it uses.
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There is nothing more offensively wasteful, in a planet of limited resources, than insipid, thoughtless, copycat creation.
Spiekermann, Erik
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We’re still in the very early stages of understanding what a magazine can and can’t do on tablet computers. It’s only a good thing for readers—new media, new possibilities, and available anywhere with an internet connection, rather than having to rely on whatever the local newsstand has in stock.
Shaughnessy, Adrian
Do you have any theories on the iPad, whether it’s a good or bad thing for the creators and consumers of magazines?
Environmental impact in every aspect of our lives should always be minimized. Ultimately, however, society in its current form is predicated on making and selling things. Our belief is that, if something is going to be made and sold, there is always an environmental cost—and so, in order to be worth that cost, every product should aim to be something different, something original, with the potential to change the viewer’s perspective, even to improve their life in some way. That’s what we look for in our magazines, and that’s the philosophy we try to project in what we send out.
Salut Public
Digital magazines can add audio, animation and video, however they lose in other areas: touch, smell, weight are all sensations that digital magazines don’t have control of. In the very best magazines, these are carefully curated as part of the story.
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Graphic design is art people use. Graphic design is the spit and polish but not the shoe. Graphic design is a tool. Graphic design is production. Graphic design is what communication looks like. Graphic design is what you make of it. Graphic design is the art and business of making content readable. Graphic design is helping people find the information they want. Graphic is challenge people’s minds. Graphic design is pollution. Graphic design is pandemic.
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ELLEN LUPTON
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Bruno Maag Hates Helvetica
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I’ve seen it in books. It has no place there, it has no place in body copy, it is not a hardcore reading font. Being a grotesk font, inherently, it is not very legible. Going back to Vignelli and using it on the New York Subway – that goes against every principle of legibiltiy. For signage you want to have something condensed so that you can have a higher letter count and you want to have character forms that are not ambiguous. Some of the character forms in Helvetica
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I think – that’s describing it quite nicely. My Swiss colleagues always thought of Univers as Swiss typography. It was the American advertisers of the 60s that we associated Helvetica with.
How can you use it wrongly?
Heydays
Do you think it was an outsider’s impression of the Swiss style? Almost in the way that a tourist forms an idea of a country that is different from reality?
Experimental Jetset
That’s the point, it is vanilla ice cream. In my whole career in typography, starting with my apprenticeship, I have never used Helvetica. Being a Swiss typographer, it’s always been Univers. Even in my apprenticeship we didn’t have Helvetica in the printshop. Then I went to Basel school of design and of course in Weingart’s workshop it was Univers, never Helvetica. Then I come to England and there’s all these designers using Helvetica! The Macintosh had just come out and Helvetica was on every single machine. Everyone was so fascinated with it … I never understood that.
And there are a lot of things wrong in the design of Helvetica once you start going in to the detail. I can appreciate why a lot of designers like Helvetica compared to Univers – Univers has a starkness about it, it’s cold. Maybe because of the antique-ness of Helvetica it has a certain charm that Univers lacks and at the same time has this neutrality, so I can see why people go for it, but if you start analysing it and going into the nitty gritty it is quite a horrendous font. It’s quite poorly crafted and has become completely overused. People go on about Arial and how awful it is, and Comic Sans, what an atrocity that is, why not the same about Helvetica? It’s often used wrongly too.
Esterton, Simon
Bruno, where does your deep-seated hatred of Helvetica come from? Isn’t hating Helvetica pointless? It’s like air or vanilla ice cream, it’s just there…
What galled me most in the movie [Gary Hustwit’s Helvetica] was when Massimo Vignelli said that Helvetica was a Modernist typeface – No! No! Helvetica is anything but Modernist, Clearly it has its roots in Akzidenz Grotesk and that was designed in 1899, which is Victorian as far as I am concerned. Akzidenz is a fantastic font but it’s not Modernist, it’s got a really antique feel about it, which again shows that Max Miedinger [Helvetica’s designer] didn’t have a clue about type design. He was the salesman at [foundry] Haas’sche Schriftgießerei for Christ’s sake.
Ee
Maag discussed the project and his feelings about Helvetica in a conversation with CR editor Patrick Burgoyne which is published in Naturalis x 7, the latest of GF Smith’s promotional booklets for its Naturalis paper range, designed by SEA and set in Aktiv Grotesk (shown here). Here is what he had to say:
Dalton Maag
Helvetica may be the world’s most popular typeface but one man is having none of it. Type designer Bruno Maag of Dalton Maag, views Helvetica’s popularity with a mixture of bemusement and irritation. So he has decided to do something about it. With the Dalton Maag team, he has created Aktiv Grotesk, a typeface designed to provide an alternative (and, he hopes, improvement) to Helvetica.
But wasn’t its popularity in America due to the influence of European émigrés? The thing is that Univers was released in 1956 by Deberny & Peignot, a small French foundry. Helvetica was released a year later with the full might of the Linotype marketing machine behind it. Linotype stuck it on every single typesetting machine they could and took it round the market, particularly around the New York advertising scene. And there was little Deberny & Peignot with no marketing budget. It’s a fluke of marketing that Helvetica now is this incredibly popular typeface.
Crouwel, Wim
Bruno Maag is so enraged by Helvetica that he has designed a typeface aimed specifically at wiping it off the face of the planet. He explains his hatred in the latest of SEA’s Naturalis booklets.
are very ambiguous because they are so uniform. In the movie, [Erik] Spiekermann says it very well, that they are like soldiers on parade and that is detrimental to legibility. People just use Helvetica because they have heard of it, it’s on everyone’s computer and everyone else uses it. Is it almost a non-choice to use it? It’s very much like that, a bit like Julia Roberts – pretty enough but… So all this combines to deeply upset you about it? Yes and a certain amount of commercial jealousy! But I do find it an inferior typeface. I would choose Univers every time – it’s crafted better, the proportions are better, it is a modern typeface that doesn’t pretend to be something it isn’t which Helvetica does. What upsets me even more is the ignorance that people have in using it. Once I had a long debate with Hamish Muir on a round table discussion at the RCA. He said ‘I just use Helvetica for everything’. We were almost at each other’s throats over that. I said ‘How can you?’ He said ‘I’ve always used it, I’ve set up my core kerning pairs…’ Well, that’s not an argument! You use a typeface that is appropriate to the job. You don’t have to have 5000 fonts on your machine but you use the one that speaks in the right voice, that conveys the right functionality for the job. A lot of designers feel uncomfortable with showing expressing emotion in their work. Particularly in the UK there is this concensus over what ‘good’ design is –this watered down Swiss style, let’s not frighten anyone, let’s just tidy it all up. Keep it clean. Helvetica appeals to that…
You do, otherwise what’s the point? Why use this or that? When people choose a typeface it’s not a rational decision, it’s completely emotional. They home in on details and say ‘I love that, that’s why I’m going to use it’. But then they want a rational explanation to tell their client. We’re hoping with this that people will react positively to it and that it can do everything that Helvetica isn’t doing … and in the process I get very very rich!
When this is out can you let Helvetica go? Have you exorcised the demon?
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Yes, it’s catharsis. It’s done now.
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Do you always need those idiosyncracies in typefaces?
Yes! When I do lectures I always have a little rant about Helvetica and at the end I say if everyone in the world used Univers instead from now on I’d happily retire, but it ain’t going to happen.
So let’s talk about Aktiv, Dalton Maag’s new Helvetica killer. Can you design a typeface in opposition to something? Is that what you set out to do or were you just trying to create as good a
Lupton, Ellen
Clearly, because we are competing aganst Univers, Akzidenz and Helvetica there are a lot of close similarities. The x height is fractionally higher than Helvetica but the rounds have a little bit of squareness about them that Helvetica’s don’t have. The differences are really subtle but give it just that bit of personality.
So success for Aktiv would be to see Helvetica driven from the face of the earth?
You’re right, it does fit into that grid thinking. A lot of graphic designers are really scared of the organic shape, the thing they can’t control – just let it go. And with Helvetica, because everyone else uses it you can justify it to your client.
Losowsky, Andrew
grotesk as you could for general use? It was two-pronged really. One was the fact that we were looking at our font library and felt that we were missing a pure grotesk in a Univers style, purely as a commercial entity. It has been at the back of our minds to do this for the last three or four years now. We wanted to have a grotesk font positioned somewhere between Helvetica and Univers – not as icy cold as Univers but devoid of all the quirks of Helvetica. To have a font that is beautifully crafted, spaced well, with not a chink in a curve or anything – perfectly drawn but hopefully with a bit of personality. We wanted to create something that could be used in a corporate environment but that has that bit of warmth that Univers doesn’t have.
Lineto
Korczak, Kasia
Keller Maurer Design
Julia
HVD Fonts
Hort
Helfend, Jessica
Heydays
Experimental Jetset
Esterton, Simon
Ee
Dalton Maag
Crouwel, Wim
Coop
Colophon
Bleed
Bierut, Michael
Bibliotheque
Barnbrook, Jonathan
Bache Garde
Atelier TĂŠlescopique
APFEL
ACB
A is a name
Publication / Editorial
Identity
Typography / Layout
Typeface Prodduction
Design Philosophy
Working Format
Wood McGrath
Useful
Tom Sharp
Toko
Studio Laucke Siebein
Spin
Spiekermann, Erik
Shaughnessy, Adrian
Salut Public
Rumors
Remake
Rams, Dieter
R2
Poynor, Rick
Onlab
Non-Format
Node
Munari, Bruno
Monika
63 Main Studio
Maag, Bruno
Lupton, Ellen
Losowsky, Andrew
Based Amsterdam
Founded 2004
Founders Edwin van Gelder
Design disciplines Book / Editorial Identity
Featured Projects Mark Magazine Jan Schoon
M A I N
Publication / Editorial
Identity
Typography / Layout
Typeface Prodduction
Design Philosophy
The space we’re in We are surrounded by brands, celebrities, products and patented packaging. We read our world fast. We know the names we like and the ones we don’t. We don’t have time. Creators strive to get known. Get the work rolling in. Be accepted. It’s good sense: a need to survive. But what if we could slow it right down for a little while, find ourselves time to ponder, space for suspense? Isn’t there something wonderful in the not immediately recognisable? An unknown quantity Monika is an arts journal that does away with bylines. As respite from the exhaustive branding of conventional media, contributors adopt a disguise that enables them to experiment with new material or style, to bypass expectation and to play. By placing the quality of her content over the marketability of her contributors, Monika invites readers to decode identities, unravel mysteries and embrace the unfamiliar. Telling tales Through visual arts and the written word, Monika shares engaging ideas and observations. Each themed issue is designed to entertain readers with originality, wit, and sensitivity to the everyday. Combining imagination and experience, criticism and curios, Monika’s content is handpicked for its ability to render the unknown, unputdownable. MONIKA MAGAZINE MANIFESTO
Lineto
Korczak, Kasia
Keller Maurer Design
Julia
HVD Fonts
Hort
Helfend, Jessica
Heydays
Experimental Jetset
Esterton, Simon
Ee
Dalton Maag
Crouwel, Wim
Coop
Colophon
Bleed
Bierut, Michael
Bibliotheque
Barnbrook, Jonathan
Bache Garde
Atelier Télescopique
APFEL
ACB
A is a name
M
Working Format
Wood McGrath
Useful
Tom Sharp
Toko
Studio Laucke Siebein
Spin
Spiekermann, Erik
Shaughnessy, Adrian
Salut Public
Rumors
Remake
Rams, Dieter
R2
Poynor, Rick
Onlab
Non-Format
Node
Munari, Bruno
65 Monika
Main Studio
Maag, Bruno
Lupton, Ellen
Losowsky, Andrew
O N I K A
Publication / Editorial
Identity
Typography / Layout
Typeface Prodduction
Design Philosophy
He (the designer) gives the right weight to each part of the project in hand, and he knows that the ultimate form of the object is psychologically vital when the potential buyer is making up his mind. He therefore tries to give it a form as appropriate as possible to its fuction, a form that one might say arises spontaneously from the function, from the mechanical part (when there is one), from the most appropriate material, from the most up-to-date production techniques, from a calculation of costs, and from other psychological and aesthetic factors.
Lineto
Korczak, Kasia
Keller Maurer Design
Julia
HVD Fonts
Hort
Helfend, Jessica
Heydays
Experimental Jetset
Esterton, Simon
Ee
Dalton Maag
Crouwel, Wim
Coop
Colophon
Bleed
Bierut, Michael
Bibliotheque
Barnbrook, Jonathan
Bache Garde
Atelier TĂŠlescopique
APFEL
ACB
A is a name
Bruno Munari
67
Working Format
Wood McGrath
Useful
Tom Sharp
Toko
Studio Laucke Siebein
Spin
Spiekermann, Erik
Shaughnessy, Adrian
Salut Public
Rumors
Remake
Rams, Dieter
R2
Poynor, Rick
Onlab
Non-Format
Node
Munari, Bruno
Monika
Main Studio
Maag, Bruno
Lupton, Ellen
Losowsky, Andrew
Lineto
Korczak, Kasia
Keller Maurer Design
Julia
HVD Fonts
Hort
Helfend, Jessica
Heydays
Experimental Jetset
Esterton, Simon
Ee
Dalton Maag
Crouwel, Wim
Coop
Colophon
Bleed
Bierut, Michael
Bibliotheque
Barnbrook, Jonathan
Bache Garde
Atelier TĂŠlescopique
APFEL
ACB
A is a name
N O D E
Publication / Editorial
Identity
Typography / Layout
Typeface Prodduction
Design Philosophy
Working Format
Wood McGrath
Useful
Tom Sharp
Toko
Studio Laucke Siebein
Spin
Spiekermann, Erik
Shaughnessy, Adrian
Salut Public
Rumors
Remake
Rams, Dieter
R2
Poynor, Rick
Onlab
Non-Format
69 Node
Munari, Bruno
Monika
Main Studio
Maag, Bruno
Lupton, Ellen
Losowsky, Andrew
Based Berlin / Oslo
Founded 2003
Founders Anders Hofgaard Serge Rompza Design disciplines Print Identity Exhibition Interactive
Featured Projects Juan Downey
Lineto
Korczak, Kasia
Keller Maurer Design
Julia
HVD Fonts
Hort
Helfend, Jessica
Heydays
Experimental Jetset
Esterton, Simon
Ee
Dalton Maag
Crouwel, Wim
Coop
Colophon
Bleed
Bierut, Michael
Bibliotheque
Barnbrook, Jonathan
Bache Garde
Atelier TĂŠlescopique
APFEL
ACB
A is a name
Publication / Editorial
Identity
Typography / Layout
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N F
71
Working Format
Wood McGrath
Useful
Tom Sharp
Toko
Studio Laucke Siebein
Spin
Spiekermann, Erik
Shaughnessy, Adrian
Salut Public
Rumors
Remake
Rams, Dieter
R2
Poynor, Rick
Onlab
Non-Format
Node
Munari, Bruno
Monika
Main Studio
Maag, Bruno
Lupton, Ellen
Losowsky, Andrew
Based Berlin / Oslo
Founded 2000
Founders Kjell Ekhorn Jon Forss
Design disciplines Art Direction Typography
Featured Projects Juan Downey
O N O R M A T
Lineto
Korczak, Kasia
Keller Maurer Design
Julia
HVD Fonts
Hort
Helfend, Jessica
Heydays
Experimental Jetset
Esterton, Simon
Ee
Dalton Maag
Crouwel, Wim
Coop
Colophon
Bleed
Bierut, Michael
Bibliotheque
Barnbrook, Jonathan
Bache Garde
Atelier TĂŠlescopique
APFEL
ACB
A is a name
Publication / Editorial
Identity
Typography / Layout
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Design Philosophy
73
Working Format
Wood McGrath
Useful
Tom Sharp
Toko
Studio Laucke Siebein
Spin
Spiekermann, Erik
Shaughnessy, Adrian
Salut Public
Rumors
Remake
Rams, Dieter
R2
Poynor, Rick
Onlab
Non-Format
Node
Munari, Bruno
Monika
Main Studio
Maag, Bruno
Lupton, Ellen
Losowsky, Andrew
Based Berlin
Founded 2001 Creative Director Nicolas Bourquin
Design disciplines Book / Editorial Identity
Featured Projects Domus
O N L A B
Lineto
Korczak, Kasia
Keller Maurer Design
Julia
HVD Fonts
Hort
Helfend, Jessica
Heydays
Experimental Jetset
Esterton, Simon
Ee
Dalton Maag
Crouwel, Wim
Coop
Colophon
Bleed
Bierut, Michael
Bibliotheque
Barnbrook, Jonathan
Bache Garde
Atelier TĂŠlescopique
APFEL
ACB
A is a name
Publication / Editorial
Identity
Typography / Layout
Typeface Prodduction
Design Philosophy
75
Working Format
Wood McGrath
Useful
Tom Sharp
Toko
Studio Laucke Siebein
Spin
Spiekermann, Erik
Shaughnessy, Adrian
Salut Public
Rumors
Remake
Rams, Dieter
R2
Poynor, Rick
Onlab
Non-Format
Node
Munari, Bruno
Monika
Main Studio
Maag, Bruno
Lupton, Ellen
Losowsky, Andrew
Type is saying things to us all the time. Typefaces express a mood, an atmosphere. They give words a certain coloring.
RICK POYNOR
Lineto
Korczak, Kasia
Keller Maurer Design
Julia
HVD Fonts
Hort
Helfend, Jessica
Heydays
Experimental Jetset
Esterton, Simon
Ee
Dalton Maag
Crouwel, Wim
Coop
Colophon
Bleed
Bierut, Michael
Bibliotheque
Barnbrook, Jonathan
Bache Garde
Atelier TĂŠlescopique
APFEL
ACB
A is a name
Publication / Editorial
Identity
Typography / Layout
Typeface Prodduction
Design Philosophy
77
Working Format
Wood McGrath
Useful
Tom Sharp
Toko
Studio Laucke Siebein
Spin
Spiekermann, Erik
Shaughnessy, Adrian
Salut Public
Rumors
Remake
Rams, Dieter
R2
Poynor, Rick
Onlab
Non-Format
Node
Munari, Bruno
Monika
Main Studio
Maag, Bruno
Lupton, Ellen
Losowsky, Andrew
Based Porto
R 2
Founded 1995 Founders Lizá Defossez Ramalho Artur Rebelo
Design disciplines Editorial Identity Typography
Selected Clients Colecção Sem Título
Lineto
Korczak, Kasia
Keller Maurer Design
Julia
HVD Fonts
Hort
Helfend, Jessica
Heydays
Experimental Jetset
Esterton, Simon
Ee
Dalton Maag
Crouwel, Wim
Coop
Colophon
Bleed
Bierut, Michael
Bibliotheque
Barnbrook, Jonathan
Bache Garde
Atelier TĂŠlescopique
APFEL
ACB
A is a name
Publication / Editorial
Identity
Typography / Layout
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Design Philosophy
79
Working Format
Wood McGrath
Useful
Tom Sharp
Toko
Studio Laucke Siebein
Spin
Spiekermann, Erik
Shaughnessy, Adrian
Salut Public
Rumors
Remake
Rams, Dieter
R2
Poynor, Rick
Onlab
Non-Format
Node
Munari, Bruno
Monika
Main Studio
Maag, Bruno
Lupton, Ellen
Losowsky, Andrew
“Good design means as little design as possible.”
Dieter Rams
Lineto
Korczak, Kasia
Keller Maurer Design
Julia
HVD Fonts
Hort
Helfend, Jessica
Heydays
Experimental Jetset
Esterton, Simon
Ee
Dalton Maag
Crouwel, Wim
Coop
Colophon
Bleed
Bierut, Michael
Bibliotheque
Barnbrook, Jonathan
Bache Garde
Atelier TĂŠlescopique
APFEL
ACB
A is a name
Publication / Editorial
Identity
Typography / Layout
Typeface Prodduction
Design Philosophy
R
81
Working Format
Wood McGrath
Useful
Tom Sharp
Toko
Studio Laucke Siebein
Spin
Spiekermann, Erik
Shaughnessy, Adrian
Salut Public
Rumors
Remake
Rams, Dieter
R2
Poynor, Rick
Onlab
Non-Format
Node
Munari, Bruno
Monika
Main Studio
Maag, Bruno
Lupton, Ellen
Losowsky, Andrew
Based Brooklyn
Founded 2004
Founder Michael Dyer
Design disciplines Brand / Identity Environmental
Featured Projects Art in General
E M A K E
O
Lineto
Korczak, Kasia
Keller Maurer Design
Julia
HVD Fonts
Hort
M
Helfend, Jessica
Heydays
Experimental Jetset
Esterton, Simon
Ee
U
Dalton Maag
Crouwel, Wim
Coop
Colophon
Bleed
Bierut, Michael
Bibliotheque
Barnbrook, Jonathan
Bache Garde
Atelier TĂŠlescopique
APFEL
ACB
A is a name
R
R
Publication / Editorial
Identity
Typography / Layout
Typeface Prodduction
Design Philosophy
Working Format
Wood McGrath
Useful
Tom Sharp
Toko
Studio Laucke Siebein
Spin
Spiekermann, Erik
Shaughnessy, Adrian
Salut Public
83 Rumors
Remake
Rams, Dieter
R2
Poynor, Rick
Onlab
Non-Format
Node
Munari, Bruno
Monika
Main Studio
Maag, Bruno
Lupton, Ellen
Losowsky, Andrew
Based New York
S Founders Renda Morton Andy Pressman
Design disciplines Publication / Editorial
Featured projects Bidoun
Lineto
Korczak, Kasia
Keller Maurer Design
Julia
HVD Fonts
Hort
Helfend, Jessica
Heydays
Experimental Jetset
Esterton, Simon
Ee
Dalton Maag
Crouwel, Wim
Coop
Colophon
Bleed
Bierut, Michael
Bibliotheque
Barnbrook, Jonathan
Bache Garde
Atelier TĂŠlescopique
APFEL
ACB
A is a name
S A L U T
Publication / Editorial
Identity
Typography / Layout
Typeface Prodduction
Design Philosophy
Working Format
Wood McGrath
Useful
Tom Sharp
Toko
Studio Laucke Siebein
Spin
Spiekermann, Erik
Shaughnessy, Adrian
85 Salut Public
Rumors
Remake
Rams, Dieter
R2
Poynor, Rick
Onlab
Non-Format
Node
Munari, Bruno
Monika
Main Studio
Maag, Bruno
Lupton, Ellen
Losowsky, Andrew
Based Brussels / Paris
Founded 2002
Creative Director Renaud Huberlant Pascale Onraet
Design disciplines Book Editorial Identity Website
Selected CLients Quai Branly Museum Cartier International
Lineto
Korczak, Kasia
Keller Maurer Design
Julia
HVD Fonts
Hort
Helfend, Jessica
Heydays
Experimental Jetset
Esterton, Simon
Ee
Dalton Maag
Crouwel, Wim
Coop
Colophon
Bleed
Bierut, Michael
Bibliotheque
Barnbrook, Jonathan
Bache Garde
Atelier TĂŠlescopique
APFEL
ACB
A is a name
Publication / Editorial
Identity
Typography / Layout
Typeface Prodduction
Design Philosophy
Graphic design has been likened to a wine glass. When we drink wine we barely notice the glass it’s served in. It wouldn’t be true to say that we don’t care what glass we drink out of – we wouldn’t choose to drink a rare vintage out of a Tupperware mug, for example – but it’s the wine that matters, not the vessel it comes in.
Working Format
Wood McGrath
Useful
Tom Sharp
Toko
Studio Laucke Siebein
Spin
Spiekermann, Erik
Shaughnessy, Adrian 87
Salut Public
Rumors
Remake
Rams, Dieter
R2
Poynor, Rick
Onlab
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Node
Munari, Bruno
Monika
Main Studio
Maag, Bruno
Lupton, Ellen
Losowsky, Andrew
ADRIAN SHAUGHNESSY
Publication / Editorial
Identity
Typography / Layout
Typeface Prodduction
Design Philosophy
As a designer, I like the future. After centuries of being dominated by technology – from cutting wood to printing negatives, from baking mud bricks to reinforcing concrete – designers of all disciplines now have the tools to present and make anything imagin able. There is no excuse for not coming up with new concepts. Designers and architects can no longer blame their shortcomings on the limits of technology. There will always be clients to blame – that has not changed since the Pope asked Michelangelo to paint the ceiling of that little chapel in the Vatican. The best thing, however, is the fact that we are beginning to realize some thing else: we have talents that go beyond making things work well and look good. We can also take apart ideas, look at them, throw away what is not needed and put them back together again. Designers can redesign thinking. And we need to, because nobody else will.
Lineto
Korczak, Kasia
Keller Maurer Design
Julia
HVD Fonts
Hort
Helfend, Jessica
Heydays
Experimental Jetset
Esterton, Simon
Ee
Dalton Maag
Crouwel, Wim
Coop
Colophon
Bleed
Bierut, Michael
Bibliotheque
Barnbrook, Jonathan
Bache Garde
Atelier Télescopique
APFEL
ACB
A is a name
ERIK SPIEKERMANN
Working Format
Wood McGrath
Useful
Tom Sharp
Toko
Studio Laucke Siebein
Spin
89 Spiekermann, Erik
Shaughnessy, Adrian
Salut Public
Rumors
Remake
Rams, Dieter
R2
Poynor, Rick
Onlab
Non-Format
Node
Munari, Bruno
Monika
Main Studio
Maag, Bruno
Lupton, Ellen
Losowsky, Andrew
Lineto
Korczak, Kasia
Keller Maurer Design
Julia
HVD Fonts
Hort
Helfend, Jessica
Heydays
Experimental Jetset
Esterton, Simon
Ee
Dalton Maag
Crouwel, Wim
Coop
Colophon
Bleed
Bierut, Michael
Bibliotheque
Barnbrook, Jonathan
Bache Garde
Atelier TĂŠlescopique
APFEL
ACB
A is a name
Publication / Editorial
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91
Working Format
Wood McGrath
Useful
Tom Sharp
Toko
Studio Laucke Siebein
Spin
Spiekermann, Erik
Shaughnessy, Adrian
Salut Public
Rumors
Remake
Rams, Dieter
R2
Poynor, Rick
Onlab
Non-Format
Node
Munari, Bruno
Monika
Main Studio
Maag, Bruno
Lupton, Ellen
Losowsky, Andrew
Based London
Founded 1992 Founders Tony Brook Patricia Finegan
Design disciplines Identity Art Direction Exhibitions Editorial
Featured Projects Wim Crouwel Exhibition
S P I N
Lineto
Korczak, Kasia
Keller Maurer Design
Julia
HVD Fonts
Hort
Helfend, Jessica
Heydays
Experimental Jetset
Esterton, Simon
Ee
Dalton Maag
Crouwel, Wim
Coop
Colophon
Bleed
Bierut, Michael
Bibliotheque
Barnbrook, Jonathan
Bache Garde
Atelier TĂŠlescopique
APFEL
ACB
A is a name
Publication / Editorial
Identity
Typography / Layout
Typeface Prodduction
Design Philosophy
S L A S I
Working Format
Wood McGrath
Useful
Tom Sharp
Toko
93 Studio Laucke Siebein
Spin
Spiekermann, Erik
Shaughnessy, Adrian
Salut Public
Rumors
Remake
Rams, Dieter
R2
Poynor, Rick
Onlab
Non-Format
Node
Munari, Bruno
Monika
Main Studio
Maag, Bruno
Lupton, Ellen
Losowsky, Andrew
Based Amsterdam Berlin
Founded 2000
Founders Dirk Laucke Johanna Siebein
Design disciplines Print Book
Featured Projects Circa 1986
T U D I O U C K E E B E I N
Lineto
Korczak, Kasia
Keller Maurer Design
Julia
HVD Fonts
Hort
Helfend, Jessica
Heydays
Experimental Jetset
Esterton, Simon
Ee
Dalton Maag
Crouwel, Wim
Coop
Colophon
Bleed
Bierut, Michael
Bibliotheque
Barnbrook, Jonathan
Bache Garde
Atelier TĂŠlescopique
APFEL
ACB
A is a name
Publication / Editorial
Identity
Typography / Layout
Typeface Prodduction
Design Philosophy
Working Format
Wood McGrath
Useful
Tom Sharp
95 Toko
Studio Laucke Siebein
Spin
Spiekermann, Erik
Shaughnessy, Adrian
Salut Public
Rumors
Remake
Rams, Dieter
R2
Poynor, Rick
Onlab
Non-Format
Node
Munari, Bruno
Monika
Main Studio
Maag, Bruno
Lupton, Ellen
Losowsky, Andrew
Based Sydney
Founded 2008
Founders Eva Dijkstra Michael Lugmayr
Design disciplines Identity
Featured Projects Het Zuidelijk Toneel
T O K O
Publication / Editorial
Identity
Typography / Layout
Typeface Prodduction
Design Philosophy
12 Tips/ Ideas Of Copyrighting 1 The strongest way to convey an idea is by using words. 2 The easiest way to sell is by using words. 3 Copy and design are always at war with each other.
Need a balance between: Looks good but what is it? Looks dull but is very clear.
4 Hierarchy is everything.
What comes first. What doesn’t need to be there.
5 People like reading well written copy.
“The consumer is not a moron, she is your wife” David Ogilvy
Lineto
Korczak, Kasia
Keller Maurer Design
Julia
HVD Fonts
Hort
Helfend, Jessica
Heydays
Experimental Jetset
Esterton, Simon
Ee
Dalton Maag
Crouwel, Wim
Coop
Colophon
Bleed
Bierut, Michael
Bibliotheque
Barnbrook, Jonathan
Bache Garde
Atelier Télescopique
APFEL
ACB
A is a name
6 Words make your brand human.
7 Simple is clever. Good thinking is simple. 8 Complicated is stupid 9 Tone of voice is a subtlety.
How you treat the type changes the tone of voice.
10 Its your job to challenge every word. 11 Designers and copywriters should be partners. 12 Good designers can spell. Great designers can write.
Working Format
Wood McGrath
Useful
Tom Sharp 97
Toko
Studio Laucke Siebein
Spin
Spiekermann, Erik
Shaughnessy, Adrian
Salut Public
Rumors
Remake
Rams, Dieter
R2
Poynor, Rick
Onlab
Non-Format
Node
Munari, Bruno
Monika
Main Studio
Maag, Bruno
Lupton, Ellen
Losowsky, Andrew
TOM SHARP (THE BEAUTIFUL MEME)
Lineto
Korczak, Kasia
Keller Maurer Design
Julia
HVD Fonts
Hort
Helfend, Jessica
Heydays
Experimental Jetset
Esterton, Simon
Ee
Dalton Maag
Crouwel, Wim
Coop
Colophon
Bleed
Bierut, Michael
Bibliotheque
Barnbrook, Jonathan
Bache Garde
Atelier TĂŠlescopique
APFEL
ACB
A is a name
Publication / Editorial
Identity
Typography / Layout
Typeface Prodduction
Design Philosophy
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Wood McGrath
99 Useful
Tom Sharp
Toko
Studio Laucke Siebein
Spin
Spiekermann, Erik
Shaughnessy, Adrian
Salut Public
Rumors
Remake
Rams, Dieter
R2
Poynor, Rick
Onlab
Non-Format
Node
Munari, Bruno
Monika
Main Studio
Maag, Bruno
Lupton, Ellen
Losowsky, Andrew
Based London
U S E F U L Designers Brendan Freeman Brendan Peer ALex Geoffrey
Design disciplines Publication
Featured Projects Used Magazine
Lineto
Korczak, Kasia
Keller Maurer Design
Julia
HVD Fonts
Hort
Helfend, Jessica
Heydays
Experimental Jetset
Esterton, Simon
Ee
Dalton Maag
Crouwel, Wim
Coop
Colophon
Bleed
Bierut, Michael
Bibliotheque
Barnbrook, Jonathan
Bache Garde
Atelier TĂŠlescopique
APFEL
ACB
A is a name
Publication / Editorial
Identity
Typography / Layout
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W O M C
Working Format
101 Wood McGrath
Useful
Tom Sharp
Toko
Studio Laucke Siebein
Spin
Spiekermann, Erik
Shaughnessy, Adrian
Salut Public
Rumors
Remake
Rams, Dieter
R2
Poynor, Rick
Onlab
Non-Format
Node
Munari, Bruno
Monika
Main Studio
Maag, Bruno
Lupton, Ellen
Losowsky, Andrew
Based London
Founded 2007
Founders Suzy Wood Martin McGrath
Design disciplines Magazines Exhibitions Identity
Featured Projects British Council Newsletters
O D G R A T H
Lineto
Korczak, Kasia
Keller Maurer Design
Julia
HVD Fonts
Hort
Helfend, Jessica
Heydays
Experimental Jetset
Esterton, Simon
Ee
Dalton Maag
Crouwel, Wim
Coop
Colophon
Bleed
Bierut, Michael
Bibliotheque
Barnbrook, Jonathan
Bache Garde
Atelier TĂŠlescopique
APFEL
ACB
A is a name
W O R K I N G F O R M A T
Publication / Editorial
Identity
Typography / Layout
Typeface Prodduction
Design Philosophy
103 Working Format
Wood McGrath
Useful
Tom Sharp
Toko
Studio Laucke Siebein
Spin
Spiekermann, Erik
Shaughnessy, Adrian
Salut Public
Rumors
Remake
Rams, Dieter
R2
Poynor, Rick
Onlab
Non-Format
Node
Munari, Bruno
Monika
Main Studio
Maag, Bruno
Lupton, Ellen
Losowsky, Andrew
Based Vancouver
Founders Abi Huynh / Grace Partridge / Ross Milne
Design disciplines Print / Pubication
Featured Projects Commercial Type Ads
Acknowledgements
BOOKS
WEB
Graphic Design Worlds/ Words edited by Giorgio Camuffo & Maddalena Dalla Mura Published by Triennale Design Museum
Champion of Magazines: An interview with Andrew Losowsky by Sue Apfelbaum http://www.aiga.org/champion-of-magazines-an-interview-withandrew-losowsky/
Emigre No. 65 If we’re standing on the shoulders of giants, what are we reaching for? Co-published by Princeton Architectural Press Emigre No. 67 Graphic design vs. style, globalism, criticism, science, authenticity and humanism Co-published by Princeton Architectural Press
Seven Things Designers Can Learn from Stand Up Comics by Michael Bierut http://observatory.designobserver.com/entry.html?entry=27038
Turning Pages - Editorial Design for Print Media Edited by Robert Klanten, Sven Ehmann, Kitty BolhĂśfer and Floyd Schulze Published by Gestalen Good: An Intorduction to Ethics in Graphic Design by Lucienne Roberts Published by AVA Publishing
Colophon 108 Pages May 2012 Printed by LULU