graphic design magazine—Vol ume #1— 2011
G192—featuring London Design Festival / KarlssonWilker / Graphic Thought Facility / Angus Hyland / John Malinoski / Karin von Ompteda / Hjärta Smärta / Company / Jeremy Tankard / Neal Whittington / Fraser Muggeridge / Christoph Niemann in Profile plus Special Feature—Drawing Type
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Issue 192 of Grafik pays homage to the art of handdrawn letters with our special feature Drawing Type, including specially commissioned works by ten top lettering artists. grafik 192 Preview — 3
Kaleidoscope is Grafik’s selection of current unmissable events, exhibitions and products
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Repeat pattern— Claire Falkenstein, Pendant, 1961, from the collection of Kenneth Dukoff
G192—Kaleidoscope 008—London Design Festival / 010—Miracles & Charms at The Wellcome Collection / 011—The Power of Making at V&A Museum / AGI Open in Barcelona / 012—Wild Rumpus at 93 Feet East / Clare Woods at The Hepworth Wakefield / 013—Edward McKnight Kauffer at Estorick Collection of Modern Italian Art / 014—Terry O’Neill at Leeds Gallery / 015—Frieze Art Fair in Regent’s Park / The Indiscipline of Painting at Tate St Ives / 016— Crafting Modernism at NYC Museum of Art and Design / Rachel Goodyear at Bothy Gallery / 017— Stylectrical at Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe / 018—The Museum of Everything at Selfridges / 019—Colorblind Competition / 020—Cass Art Competiton For regular updates visit
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Celebrity Skin
Terry O’Neill: 50 Years at the Top 14 September–14 October Leeds Gallery The Leeds Gallery celebrates the fifty-year career of showbiz photographer Terry O’Neill this month. O’Neill’s big break came when, as a resident photographer at Heathrow, he snapped a figure sleeping on a bench who turned out to be the home secretary. O’Neill went on to become famous in the Sixties for his intimate portraits of pop stars, politicians and the Royal Family. A good friend of Elton John and his photographer of choice for many years, O’Neill’s book Eltonography was published in 1988. Perhaps his most famous shot to date was taken in 1977—it shows his devastatingly beautiful girlfriend of the time, Faye Dunaway, languishing by the pool at the Beverly Hills Hotel at dawn the morning after winning an Oscar, with newspapers strewn around her and the trophy on the table. The exhibition also features previously unseen prints, and is the first time that O’Neill’s work has been exhibited in Leeds. l e e d s g a l l e r y. c o m
From top— David Bowie—Working on the album cover for Diamond Dogs, London 1975; Faye Dunaway—Los Angeles 1976
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Below— Phyllida Barlow, Untitled: Broken Shelf 2, courtesy of Hauser & Worth
Frieze Art Fair Regent’s Park, London NW1 13–16 October The international art world descends on the big white tent in Regent’s Park this October for the latest instalment of the Frieze Art Fair. The show itself has been treated to a bit of a makeover this year courtesy of architects Carmody Groarke, and galleries from thirty-three different countries will be showcasing over a thousand new and established artists. There’ll be the usual mix of talks, film and music, as well as the Frame section, which is reserved for galleries that have been around for under six years. Frieze Projects will showcase seven special fair commissions. These include Christian Jankowski’s luxury yacht, which will be installed along with a boat dealer who is hell bent on selling it to you. Better make sure you don’t forget your chequebook. friezear tfair.com
Big Top
Suite Segond 100 No.3, Bernard Frize,1980, collection of the artist, courtesy Simon Lee Gallery, London.
Form and Space The Indiscipline of Painting: International Abstraction from the 1960s to Now Tate St Ives 8 October–3 January 2012 Tate St Ives comes over all abstract this autumn with a new exhibition that explores the tendency’s position within the contemporary creative climate. Spanning fifty years’ worth of work and including the output of forty-nine painters including Andy Warhol, Gerhard Richter and Bridget Riley, the show sets out to trace the historical development of abstract art and illuminate the other movements and influences that have shaped its practice since the 1960s. Organised through the curatorial lens of British painter Daniel Sturgis, it should be a fine showcase for the diversity of abstract art from both America and Europe, and will include several major new commissions, both from established artists and less familiar names. If you can’t make it down to St Ives to see the show, it will be travelling to the Mead Gallery at Warwick Arts Centre in January. tate.org.uk/stives grafik 192 Preview —7
Extraordinary demonstrations of public protest have erupted around the world in recent months and the media portrayal of such events is often key to their impact. Benedict Burbridge asks what role photographers can play in this, especially via self-published works.
Riot Scene
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Benedict Burbridge investigates photographers’ responses to protest culture
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In this issue’s Profile we pay a visit to Christoph Niemann in his Berlin studio portrait by Todd Selby
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t h e s e l b y. c o m
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Profile—Niemann
“And God said unto me, take a metaphor and be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish, and squeeze every last drop out of it,” announces editorial illustrator Christoph Niemann in his semi-autobiographical piece My Illustrated Life. Amen. I’m in Berlin for a sermon on his mount. A recent move to Berlin from New York finds Niemann sharing a sparse studio space with some architects, and it’s clear from the outset Niemann is in the serious business of being funny. Niemann is perhaps more widely known in the United States than he is in mainland Europe, having worked for predominately US magazines ranging from the New Yorker and Rolling Stone, to Wired and, most recently, a regular column with the New York Times blog entitled Abstract Sunday. German-born, Niemann followed graphic design in Stuttgart at the Academy of Applied Arts in the early 1990s and was fortunate enough to study illustration under Heinz Edelmann (best known for The Beatles’ Yellow Submarine animation). Although happy at college, Niemann was restless. Looking for an escape, he soon felt that merely studying abroad would be a time-consuming administrative nightmare. “I wanted to go abroad but I realised studying wasn’t the way to do it, so I applied for internships. I wanted to work, I wanted to do stuff,” he recalls. At first, Niemann looked to London but felt that the design scene was too type-orientated, in the grip of a Neville Brodyesque fad, and although he admired the work he felt that New York offered more in terms of illustration. “When I looked at the illustration angle,” explains Niemann, “New York was actually much more suitable for what I aspired to. So in the spring of 1995 I went to New York with my portfolio and I ended up working for Paul Davis.” The Paul Davis that Niemann refers to is the highly influential editorial illustrator who perhaps saw a younger version of himself in Niemann, for Davis had himself got a break early on in his career working on assignments for Playboy under the art direction of Art Paul in the late 1950s. 12—grafik 192 Preview
Opposite page— Let the Games Begin, cover, The New Yorker, 2004; Pret-A-Porter, cover, The New Yorker, 2003 Below— S.O.S., cover, The New Yorker, 2011
Profile—Niemann
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In Graphic Design Heroes this issue Erik Brandt recalls inspiring teacher and designer John Malinoski 14—grafik 192 Preview
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Graphic Design Heroes
This page— Poster for Richmond’s Neighborhood Resource Center Opposite page, left and below right— Posters for Third Practice Electroacoustic music festival Opposite, top right— Poster for Open Nite at VCU
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He was as generous with his books as he was with his example, and guided me through many essentials, introducing me to the marvels of Heyduk, Rietveld, Hoffman, El Lissitzky, and our beloved Piet Zwart. He also introduced me to the work of his own teacher, the great R. Roger Remington. While espousing a well-defined formal aesthetic, John never lost sight of the contemporary. In his role as graduate chair, he was the force behind VCU’s partnership with the Rietveld Academie, and it was because of his efforts to lead faculty and student exchanges that I later met Leo Divendal, Aaf van Essen, Mieke Gerritzen, Linda van Deursen, Harmen Liemburg and many more. Above all, John was always working, always making. Nothing could distract him from some small idea, some curious possibility. Each project would be augmented by endless sketches and models, each theory thoroughly proven or disproven. This was the playful science of form-making that I learned from John—always see each idea through, no matter how impossible! Always judge by what has shape, form, what is! Never judge an idea, never critique or give false weight to some vague explanation, always speak through your work. It was John that taught me the value of formal excursions, of accessorising formal experimentation. It was John that taught me the joy of making things. Since those glorious days, John’s work has been influenced by two important factors. His relationship with the brilliant fashion designer and educator Kristin Caskey, and their remarkable daughter, Lulu. While the recent formal expressions you see collected here still hold echoes of the past, the graphic exuberance and celebration of love are a compelling beacon of the life they have built together. Their home, their chicken coop, their bees, all reflect their deep commitment to community, the proof of a life devoted to formal exploration and making things not just for themselves, but for all of us. This is the heart of graphic design, of typography, this is the meaning of care. It is a joy to have heroes, but it is a rare blessing to be a student and have teachers. I am still learning from John, and am forever grateful to be a student.
Graphic Design Heroes
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For this issue’s Future Classics article Graphic Thought Facility guides us through its work for Shakespeare’s Globe, 2003-04 grafik 192 Preview —19
Future Classics —The Globe
The Photography In 2001 we came in quite late in terms of getting things produced, so it was a real exercise in seeing what the potential was in the time frame. The first year was a ‘gettingto-know-you’ exercise. The Globe had a photographer who they used a lot and who Mark had a real loyalty to, so we briefed him for the shoot for the first year. The brief was, very broadly, to explore the juxtapositions between the contemporary lives of players and visitors and the historical context. With the old stuff and new stuff in the environment there was a humour and a tension that seemed interesting. The photographer shot a couple of rolls and right at the end of a roll was a shot we almost discarded as being too flippant. To his credit, Mark was the one who said, “What about this one?” and that ended up being the main image for the campaign. It set the tone for the juxtaposition of modern life happening in this historical context. On the back of the leaflet for the 2001 season was a tightly shot image of a person in the audience dressed in waterproofs. It was an image we had shot when we went on a recce to the theatre—the plastic mac against the oakiness of the surroundings seemed to sum up the experience of the practicalities of being at the Globe. The following year, the Globe invited us to work for it again. On this occasion we had more time and we were able to control things a bit more and commission a photographer of our choice—Nigel Shafran, whom we’d known for a few years but never used. Nigel had exactly the same brief as the first year. There was an ordinariness in the subject matter that chimed with his work. Nigel shot the actors behind the scenes, capturing genuine moments that show the wit and contrast in the lives of the modern players in this rich historical setting. Nigel only works in natural, available light and generally in daylight, so he works with long shutter speeds. This means he often has to ask his subjects to stand still, so although
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genuine moments are being documented, they are all kind of posed in a way. There’s a sense of calm and quiet and the ‘freezing’ gives it a definite sense of portraiture and painterliness, something reminiscent of a Vermeer painting. Rather than detached documentary photography, the slight level of engagement between the photographer and the subject (often the subject is looking towards the camera) creates a subtle theatricality and adds to the sense of makebelieve. There is an element of performance going on in front of the camera. The images use the space of the Globe to create a commonality between what’s going on in the plays and the people watching them. In 2004, following on from Nigel’s series of photographs looking at the back of house, we asked him to look at front of house. It was much braver in a way because it is, as a theme, much slighter. In some ways I like it more, although the first series was much more gettable, quicker. One thing we had this year, which was really unusual, was the theme—we knew it would be The Season of Star-Crossed Lovers, with the lead play being Romeo and Juliet, which meant there was a way in for Nigel. The image of teenage theatregoers waiting around became the lead image for the campaign. There was something very emotive about these two central figures, the gang and this slightly more ominous guy at the front. Mark never used to plan themes very far in advance. That’s why the following year, which was the last season we did with Mark, was a very generic image—a view from the edge of the stage where the audience stands. It shows an audience member’s plastic mac and a drink on the edge of the stage. One thing Mark wanted was for the visual material not to give too much away about what people would see on the stage. So there was an element of pragmatism to this approach to the photography—to keep it shadowy and only reveal fragments.—HM
Future Classics —The Globe
Oppsote page— Photographs by Nigel Shafran for the 2003 season at Shakespeare’s Globe This page— Poster for Shakespeare’s Globe, 2003. Graphic design and art direction by GTF, photography by Nigel Shafran
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For our special feature we asked ten world-class lettering artists to take over the pages of Grafik... Jody Barton Andy Smith Dan Cassaro Mario Hugo Carolyn Sewell Seb Lester Deanne Cheuk Gemma O’Brien Friends of Type Si Scott
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G192—Special Feature
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How and where did you learn your craft?
What’s your drawing implement of choice?
If you were a typeface, which one would you be?
What would be your fantasy commission?
Has your work ever got you in trouble?
Any advice for aspiring typographers or hand-letterers?
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Seb Lester
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Friends of Type
How and where did you learn your craft?
What’s your drawing implement of choice?
If you were a typeface, which one would you be?
What would be your fantasy commission?
Has your work ever got you in trouble?
Any advice for aspiring typographers or hand-letterers?
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CoverShot
The designers from Hjärta Smärta uncover a Lillian Bassman classic in Cover Shot 30—grafik 192 Preview
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Pictoform
Neal Whittington of Present and Correct airs a personal obsession with postal symbols in Pictoform
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We present four more bright lights from design, illustration and photography to look out for in this issue’s Talent section 34—grafik 192 Preview
104— Tom Berry coffee-propelled pen-pointing t o m b e r r y a r t. c o . u k
102— Kyle Bean crafted, methodical, a little whimsical kylebean.co.uk
View extended profiles at
grafikmag.com/talent
106— Saga Sig feminine, magical, colourful sagasig.com
108— Sister Arrow science, nature, vessels sisterarrow.com
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Sister Arrow Illustrator, London
This page, clockwise from top— Herbal, five-colour Risograph print for the V&A Museum, 2011; Truffle Bubble, screenprint for Beach London, 2011; Zoo Flask, five-colour Risograph print for Landfill Editions, 2011 Opposite, from top— Time Tertium, gouache on paper, 2011; Peace Puzzle, four-colour Risograph print for It’s Nice That & Landfill Editions, 2010
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Talent
What’s been the best and the worst reactions to your work? I get good reactions to the sumo babies, people seem to really love them. I am interested in exploring elements of the human relationship with nature— and often use imagery in my work that is partly about how we shape things for our own aesthetic pleasure. So it makes sense that people will like it, as it is about what people like. Which is fortuitous, I guess. Worst reaction has got to be when someone ripped a drawing off the wall in a fit of rage, stamped on it and set it on fire. Only joking. Luckily I have never witnessed a worst reaction. What’s your favourite spot for sketching? I recently discovered the Anthropology Library at the British Museum. It smells nice and is really quiet, which I think are essential environmental requirements whilst sketching. My desk is also a pretty nice spot. It’s got plants on it and big windows and piles of natural history books and gardening pamphlets. What’s next for you? I’m working on my first solo exhibition which will open in September at Beach London, a new gallery/bookshop on Cheshire Street. I’m hoping to unveil some new original work and also show paintings and drawings only seen online thus far. You should all come. I’ve also got a book release soon in collaboration with Landfill Editions. It’s about particle physics. Describe your work in three words. Science, Nature, Vessels. grafik 192 Preview — 37
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