“I do not think of type as something that should be readable. It should be beautiful.� -Ed Benguiat
KAREL M ART ENS
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C LAU D E GARAM O ND
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MARI AN BAN T JES
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S T EFAN SAGM EIST ER
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T I MOT H Y GO O D M AN
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Born in: 1939
Published books: Printed Matter & Counterprint
Name: Karel Martens
From: the Netherlands Education: Arnhem School of Art
Graphic Designer
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Karel Martens The Dr A.H. Heineken Prize for Art 1996 was awarded to graphic designer Karel Martens for his entire oeuvre. The committee responsible for awarding the Dr A.H. Heineken Prize for Art recognizes Karel Martens as a
Biography
versatile designer who has created a firm niche for himself in graphic design in the Netherlands. Karel Martens (born 1939) finished as a student at the Arnhem School of Art in His products are characterized by traditional workmanship and simplicity. Glamour is not his style - he 1961. Since then he has worked as a freelance graphic designer, specializing in typrefers to exploit plain, honest techniques and materials, a feature which is always evident in his choice of paper, pography. Alongside this, he has always made free (non-commissioned) graphic and letter type, colour and format. At the same time, Martens enjoys the confrontation between form and contents which three-dimensional work. As well as designing books and other printed items, he has always results in an exciting product, bearing the hallmark of quality and care. Among his clients have been the pubdesigned stamps and telephone cards. Karel Martens has also designed signs and tylishers Van Loghum Slaterus (Arnhem) in the 1960s, and the SUN (Nijmegen) in the years 1975-81, PTT Nederland, and pographic facades for a number of buildings. Karel Martens has taught graphic devarious government institutions. In 1993 Karel Martens was awarded the H.N. Werkman Prize for the design of the arsign since 1977. first appointment was at the Arnhem School of Art (until 1994). chitectural magazine Oase. In 1996 he received the Dr A.H. Heineken Prize for Art; as part of this prize, a monograph He was then attached to the Jan van Eyck Academie in Maastricht (1994-99). From on his work was published: Karel Martens: Printed Matter. His work has been nominated three times at the Design 1997 has been a visiting lecturer in the graphic design department at the School of Prize Rotterdam: 1995, for the design of the standard series of telephone chip-cards for PTT Telecom (this reArt, Yale University. In the same year, together with Wigger Bierma, Martens startceived an honorary commendation); 1997, for the book Karel Martens: Printed Matter; 1999, for the deed the Typography Workshop for postgraduate education within the ArtEZ, Arnhem. sign of the façade of the Veenman printing works at Ede. In 1998 at the Leipzig Book Fair, Karel Martens: Printed Matter was awarded the gold medal, as the best-designed book ‘in the whole world’. Over the years his books have featured regularly in the annual Best-Designed Dutch Books competition.
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C L AU D E GARAMOND B
orn in Paris, France in 1490, Garamond started his career out as an apprentice for the Parisian punch-cutter and printer, A. Augereau in 1510. It was during this early part of the 16th century that Garamond and his peers found that the typography industry required unique multi-talented people. This way they could produce fine books. Many of the printers during that time period were able to master all or most of the technical and artistic skills of book production from type design to bookbinding. Claude Garamond was first to specialize in type design, punch cutting, and type-founding in Paris as a service to many famous publishers. After a decade of success with his types all over Europe, King Francois I of France demanded that Claude Garamond produce a Greek typeface, which later became known as “Grecs du Roi”. The three fonts were modeled after the handwriting of Angelos Vergetios, and cut the largest size first, on a 16 point body. All three original sets of Royal Greek punches are preserved at the Imprimerie Nationale in Paris.
In 1545 Garamond became his own publisher, featuring his own types including a new italic. His first book published was Pia et religiosa Meditatio of David Chambellan. As publisher, Claude Garamond relied on his creativity harnessed by reasoned discipline to produce superbly well crafted products. He modeled his book publishing style after the classic works of the Venetian printers who catered to the absolute elites of high society. He admired and emulated the works of Aldus Manutius. Garamond insisted on clarity in design, generous page margins, quality composition, paper and printing, which was always accentuated with superb binding. Because of the soundness of Garamond’s designs his typefaces have historical staying power, and they are likely to remain the day-to-day tools of professional typographers, as long as western civilization survives. It is almost effortless to read a well set Garamond text page. This fact has been well known to book designers for over 450 years.
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M A R I A N
B A N T J E S
Marian Bantjes is a designer, writer, typographer and illustrator working internationally from her base , on a small island off the west coast of Canada, near Vancouver. She is a member of Alliance Graphique Internationale (AGI), and regularly speaks about her work and thoughts at conferences and events worldwide. She started working as a book typesetter in 1984 and opened her own design firm in 1994 employing up to 12 people. In 2003, she left all of that behind to begin an experiment in following love instead of money, by doing work that was highly personal, obsessive and sometimes just plain weird. At the same time she began writing for the design weblog “Speak Up”, and her cheeky but thoughtful articles soon gained her recognition in the blogosphere. Through this two-pronged approach, Marian caught the attention of designers and Art Directors across North America. Marian’s art and design crosses boundaries of time, style and technology. She is known for her detailed and lovingly precise vector art, her obsessive hand work, her patterning and ornament. Often hired to create custom type for magazines, advertising and special projects, Marian’s work has an underlying structure and formality that frames its organic, fluid nature. It is these combinations and juxtapositions that draw the interest of such a wide variety of designers and typographers, from experienced formalists to young students. Her 2010 book “I Wonder” (published by Thames & Hudson, 2010) is an exploration of the marriage of word and image, written and illuminated by herself throughout, it is alternately mysterious, thoughtful, personal and funny. It, along with several other pieces or her work, is included in the permanent collection of the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum (Smithsonian) in New York. When asked if she has a motto; No I don’t, so instead I will tell you my one wish (for when I find a genie);
“ I wish that when I die, “ I will be satisfied with all “ I have done in my life. ”
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STEFAN SAGMEISTER
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What inspires you most? Being in a foreign place, preferably for the first time, having seen many things and collected new impressions, and returning to an empty hotel room with an hour or so to blow. That mix often yields fine results.
Sagmeister on his sabbaticals. The original impulse for the first sabbatical had many fathers. Among them was the event of Ed Fella visiting the studio and bringing a number of his fantastic-type experiments executed into a sketchbook with a four-color ballpoint pen. When he self-mockingly called it “exit art,” I felt what a pity it is that one does this sort of stuff only with sixty—it would have had a much bigger impact on a working life when it would be interspersed regularly throughout ones life. Tibor Kalman’s early death played a role, as any death reminds us that our time here is finite, that we better use it a good as we can. I did the first year when I was thirty-eight, the second with forty-six. I have only two more such years to go before the retirement age of sixty-five. I think it’s much more useful to take those years early, divided up throughout my working life rather than pinning them to the end of it. Ferran Adria, who is considered by many as the best chef in the world, closed his restaurant north of Barcelona for six months every year while keeping a full kitchen staff in order to experiment. That’s 50% of his time for experimentation, compared with my paltry 12.5%. As mentioned, I myself am doing a full year of experiments every seven years, but I’m sure many other divisions are possible, depending on the field, the possibilities, and personal preferences. One hour a day or a day a week. And: Everything that we designed and I still like in the seven years following the first sabbatical had its roots in thinking done during that sabbatical.
What was your original vision for Things I’ve Learn in My Life So Far? I actually had no original vision for this series. We started this when a couple of clients gave us an unusual amount of freedom. Only when the feedback from the audiences of these clients was excellent did it occur to me that there might be a whole series in this direction.
“Having guts always works out for me.” When has having guts best served you? Basically always. Whenever I do overcome my inherent fear, it turns out well. Knowing this now for over twenty years, it is surprising that I still need to talk myself into it. It does seem to get a tiny little bit easier though.
What makes you feel vulnerable? Entering a room full of people I dont know.
Can you elaborate on “Trying to look good limits my life”? It is meant as, trying to always be the nice guy, to appear good, can be limiting. Avoiding confrontation has closed up a number of possibilities for me.
How do you process emotional pain? Working it off.
You have said that, “Keeping a diary supports my personal development.” Do you consistently keep a diary? “Keeping a diary supports personal development” came from the realization that my diary entries allow me to keep track of all the things I would like to change about my life. I used to keep a handwritten diary, but changed many, many years ago into a digital one, mostly because I found it easier to reread, as my handwriting had deteriorated to illegibility when I was very excited (and these were always the most interesting bits). What projects do you have coming up that you are excited about? Top and foremost, to work on and finish the Happy Film, to see if we actually made something that is worthwhile. Tell me a little bit about the film. When I did research for this film and read many, many psychology books on happiness, I found that whenever a scientist talked about something that had actually happened to her, a personal experience, I took this much more
seriously than when she wrote about a survey she conducted. So I changed the direction of the film from a general documentation on the subject to focus mainly on personal experiences, hoping that viewers would have the same reaction as I had. The film in itself will not make viewers happy (in the same way as watching Jane Fonda exercise wont make you lose weight), but I do hope that it might be the little kick in the ass to some viewers to explore these directions, like meditation or cognitive therapy. We plan to release it early 2014.
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Timothy Goodman is a designer, illustrator ladders for 12-15 hours a day. That taught me Your designs have a cool edginess to them; how and an art director based in New York City. an unruly work ethic. Later, it showed me how do you come up with new ideas? Currently he runs his own studio, working for fortunate I am to be doing what I love, and how Ideas are totally disposable and constantly in clients such as the New York Public Library, lucky I am to do it in New York. I try not to take flux for me. I learned that while being in brandAirbnb and The New York Times. any of it for granted. The way I see it right now, ing. Anything can spark an idea, and you better being a designer is a duty, not a career choice. have at least 100 of them. However, some of my What inspires you and your work? favorite ideas have come while I’m flying. Which I have watched Winnie-the-Pooh about 10 How did you get started? is ironic, because I used to be horribly afraid to times in the last year. Christopher Robin says, Having mentors and constantly making things. fly and I couldn’t step foot on an airplane for 3 “You’re braver than you believe, stronger than My old creative director, John Fulbrook, hired years during college. I learned to overcome that you seem, and smarter than you think.” What me right out of school as a book jacket designfear, and I have flown over 25 times in the last an idea! I’m currently trying to be more naive er for Simon & Schuster. After that he left the year and a half. Now I absolutely love flying! I with my work. Graphic design books and blogs publishing world to become a creative director can’t wait to get in the air, put my headphones will only get me so far. We should be inspired in branding, and he took me with him. I will on, and get my sketchbook out. by other mediums, but more importantly, we forever be indebted to him for helping my career should be in touch with an openness in life that blossom. I think it’s paramount to find someone Do you have a soft spot for one of your designs has nothing to do with information, language, that will help guide you, beyond design, in a way in particular? “success,” or dollars. that teaches you more about life. I remind my My friend William Morrisey always says, “If you students about this often. As for the illustration want to change your look, change your tool.” How would you describe your style? stuff, it came as a result of wanting to explore About 2 years ago I made a conscience effort I work hard to get my voice and my humor in different things, and to get my name in the to get my hand involved in my work more. I my work. As my old boss Brian Collins says, we Times so I could impress girls. Isn’t that what had the perfect opportunity to make that effort are not in the ‘kind of nice business.’ Meaning, it’s all about, anyway? sing when I was asked to do a mural for the we are here to be provocative, to be memorable, Ace Hotel. That project opened up an entirely and to tell great stories. Even though I have Why did you start Valentine’s Tweet-a-thon? different creative avenue for myself. A healthy adopted a drawing style, if you look at my body After leaving Apple (yes, that Apple) in October, amount of work I’m currently doing is handof work you’ll see that I work in many mediums I promised myself that I would make more time drawn, and it all stems from that project. across branding, editorial and identity. I have for personal projects. I started thinking about no interest in making work for solely aesthethow much time I spend on Twitter, and how I Favorite Sharpie? Why? ic reasons. If we ask questions, and think like don’t know most of the people I chat with. So The Sharpie paint markers! I love the way they storytellers, then we can have a larger dialogue I wondered how I could honor these virtual respread, the way they adhere, the way they smell, with our clients and ourselves. lationships? However, as many of us do, I beat the way you have to shake them to get the ink myself up with doubt and fear: How could I flowing. It’s a very sensual process, which is You seem to be quite the jack-of-all-trades; possibly draw a valentine for every single one probably why I dig it so much. working as a designer, illustrator and an art of my Twitter followers? Why would it matter? director, what IS it about your work that gets Who would care? Einstein famously said, “If If you could have one super power what would you goin’? at first the idea is not absurd, then there is no it be and why? I used to paint homes, hang wallpaper and hope for it.” I tried convincing myself NOT to I hate poverty, and I hate that so many kids have drywall for 4 and a half years before going to do it. Luckily, my good buddy Erik Marinovich to grow up in poverty. There are over 16 million design school in NYC. I was a horrible high encouraged me to follow through with it. In children living in poverty in the United States school student and I needed time to figure the end, it was extremely rewarding on many alone. I wish I could make poor kids live like out what I wanted. In the beginning, I was a levels, and I was very touched to see how much rich kids and rich kids live like poor kids for laborer, hauling buckets of wallpaper glue up it resonated with people/my twitter followers. one week. That would be a learning experience!
T EXT CRED I T KAREL MART ENS ht t p s://w w w.kn a w. n l / e n/ pr ijz e n / l a u re a te n -e n/ d r -a -h -h e in e ke n pr ijs -vo o r -d e -ku n s t/ k arel- m ar ten s - 1939- n eder lan d/ CLAUDE GARAM ON D ht t p ://w w w.p o intl e s s a r t. c om / e d u c a tion / l oy a l is t/ t y pe Ta l k/ g a r a m ond / b io g r a phy. htm lgm ei s ter - i n ter vi e w- by- z oe- k or s / MARIAN BAN T JES ht t p ://w w w.ba n tje s . c om / a b o u t-m e / b io -a n d -ph o to / ST EFAN SAGMEI ST ER ht t p ://w w w.or ig in m a g a z ine. c om / 2 0 1 3 / 0 4 / 0 7 / s te fa n -s a / T IMOT HY GO O DM AN ht t p ://bl og.sh a r pie. c om / 2 0 1 2 / 0 4 / ge ttin-to -th e -go o d -s tu ff-w ith -tim o thy -go o d m an /