012—grafiK 188

K a l e i d o s c o p e

Wim Crouwel —A Graphic Design Odyssey

Design Museum, London 30 March–3 July

Crouwel fever hits London this spring as Mr Gridnik’s long-overdue (by a good twelve or so years, we reckon) retrospective hits the Design Museum in London. This major exhibition will cover sixty years of Crouwel’s illustrious career, from his corporate work for the likes of IBM, KLM and Olivetti at Total Design to the cultural work for the Stedelijk and the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, via the experimental and groundbreaking Neue Alphabet, which is still being appropriated left, right and centre by graphic designers today. Curated by Tony Brook with a catalogue designed by Spin, this landmark exhibition is in good hands. There will be a series of extra talks and events, including a discussion between Wim and his architect son Mels, plus lots of goodies (including some Crouwel wallpaper and Crouwel-inspired screenprints) in the Design Museum shop. Young designers could learn a lot from Crouwel, and we’re not talking about how to design a poster. Crouwel epitomises everything that’s good in a graphic designer—humility, generosity, curiosity and a real belief in the power of graphic design to change things for the better. We salute you, Mr C. Roll on 31 March.

d e s i g n m u s e u m . o r g

Hero Worship

La Gaîté Lyrique, Paris

02 March

Paris gets a brand-new arts space entirely devoted to all things digital this March. La Gaîté Lyrique was previously a centre for street theatre and an amusement house, but has been closed for the past twenty years. In its shiny new incarnation, it will host concerts, screenings, talks, workshops and exhibitions on digital culture—one of which opens in April and is a solo show by Universal Everything’s Matt Pyke, featuring fourteen (count ’em) new installation works. We can’t wait.

g a i t e - ly r i q u e . n e t

Semi-Permanent

Hong Kong Exhibition Centre 11–12 March

Semi-Permanent kicks off another busy year with its first foray into Asia. The two-day conference at the Hong Kong Exhibition Centre in March brings together the usual eclectic mix of speakers from many different disciplines. These ‘rock stars of the design industries’ include interactive designer Theo Watson, the Dainippon Type Organisation, visual-effects guru Danny Yount and everybody’s favourite, Stefan Sagmeister. If you can’t make it to Hong Kong, why not catch one of Semi-Permanent’s other forthcoming events in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Auckland or Perth?

s e m i p e r m a n e n t . c o m

b e e l d e n i n h e t h e d e n ( p i c t u r e s i n

t h e p r e s e n t ) b y W i m c r o u W e l , 1 9 5 9

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013

Design Research Unit: 1942–1972

Tate St Ives 5 February–2 May

If you missed the Design Research Unit exhibition last year, there’s another chance to catch it at Tate St Ives in February. The DRU was one of Britain’s first multidisciplinary design behemoths, and was founded by Marcus Brumwell in 1942. As a consultancy, it combined expertise in graphic design, architecture, industrial design and beyond; catering to an emerging postwar market for creative thinking and technological awareness within corporate design, it was responsible for an extensive range of high-profile architectural and industrial projects in the four decades leading up to 1970 and became one of the largest interdisciplinary design consultancies in Europe. The Tate’s exhibition examines the origins, attitudes and key works of the DRU, from its early exhibition designs to later infrastructure-related projects, and sheds lights on an important and influential chapter in British design history.

t a t e . o r g . u K / s t i v e s

Best of British

f r o m t o p —

c i t y o f W e s t m i n s t e r s t r e e t n a m e

p l a t e d e s i g n e d b y m i s h a b l a c K ,

1 9 6 8 a n d b r i t i s h r a i l s y m b o l

d e s i g n e d b y g e r a l d b a r n e y ,

c . 1 9 6 4 / p a c K a g i n g a n d s t a t i o n e r y

f o r i l f o r d l i m i t e d , c . 1 9 4 6 .

p h o t o g r a p h s b y j o h n m a lt b y ,

c o u r t e s y o f s c o t t b r o W n r i g g

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016—grafiK 188

K a l e i d o s c o p eBritish Music Experience Talks

The O2 Bubble, London 13 January onwards

Love ’em or hate ’em, you can’t deny that Oasis had some of the most memorable record covers of the mid-Nineties—a fact for which graphic designer Brian Cannon can take considerable credit. Now, as part of the British Music Experience’s Visual Identity Series in conjunction with the Best Art Vinyl 2010 award, he’ll be explaining his work with Oasis and other Nineties icons such as the Verve and Suede in a lecture on graphic design and music at London’s O2. Cannon’s one of several respected designers speaking during the series; also on the bill are Gerard Saint of Big Active, Darren Wall (famed for his Hot Chip sleeve design) and even psychedelic king of Seventies cover art Roger Dean. If you liked last year’s St Bride conference on design and music, you’ll love this.

b r i t i s h m u s i c e x p e r i e n c e . c o m

l e f t— n o c o m e d o W n , t h e v e r v e ,

d e s i g n e d b y b r i a n c a n n o n , 1 9 9 4

Pioneers of the Downtown Scene, New York 1970s

Barbican Art Gallery, London 3 March–22 May

You’d be hard-pressed to find a more fitting venue in London for an exhibition of playful city-centric performance art than the Barbican Centre—with its walkways and waterways, it’s an urban playground in itself, and is also the biggest performing arts centre in Europe. Clearly the curatorial team there have caught on, as this year the Barbican Art Gallery plays host to Pioneers of the Downtown Scene, New York 1970s, an exhibition of the work of performance artist Laurie Anderson, choreographer Trisha Brown and artist Gordon Matta-Clark. The trio were at the forefront of the New York art scene during the tumultuous Seventies and became known both individually and collectively for their diverse urban works, taking over abandoned spaces in the city and responding artistically to the political, social and economic unrest of the era. It’s a timely exhibition, considering the current recession-bound climate; inspiration, perhaps, for a performance-based protest of your own? Get down there and take some notes.

b a r b i c a n . o r g . u K

Downtown Top Ranking

Cover Stars

f r o m t o p —

W a l K i n g o n t h e W a l l ,

t r i s h a b r o W n , 1 9 7 1 /

v i o p h o n o g r a p h ,

l a u r i e a n d e r s o n , 1 9 7 6

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017

Screen Grab

c l o c K W i s e f r o m t o p —

l i t e , h o r g o o d a n d s l i t

b y a e s t h e t i c a p p a r a t u s ,

f r a n K l . s p r a y b e r r y

p r e s i d e n t i a l c o l l a g e

s e r i e s , 2 0 0 8 / e a r ly

b i r d b y a n d r e W h o l d e r ,

2 0 0 8 / g o l d l i g h t b y

n a t h a n i e l r u s s e l l ,

p r i n t o f t h e m o n t h c l u b

p o s t e r , 2 0 0 6

Pulled by Mike Perry

Princeton Architectural PressPublished April 2011

As our world becomes increasingly screen-based, it seems the lure of getting a bit of ink under our fingernails becomes ever more attractive. Like letterpress, screenprinting never really went away—it’s just being rediscovered by a new generation of artists and designers who have fallen in love with the process. Mike Perry is one such devotee, and to celebrate he’s put together a book for Princeton Architectural Press which showcases some of the finest screenprinted work around. Pulled is out in April, and features work by Jim Stoten, Deanne Cheuk, James Victore, Rinzen, Jeremyville and many more—including, of course, Mr Perry himself.

p a p r e s s . c o m

G188-p007-Kaleidoscope.indd 17 18/01/2011 11:50

020

t h i s p a g e , t o p —

a c n e p a p e r n o . 11 , c o V e r

f e a t u r i n g l e i g h b o W e r Y ,

p h o t o g r a p h e d b Y b r u c e b e r n a r d

b o t t o m , l e f t t o r i g h t—

p a g e s f r o m f e a t u r e o n t h e b a s s o s t u d i o ,

b e r l i n , p h o t o g r a p h s b Y a l e X a n d e r h u s e b Y

a n d t h e r o c h e l l e s c h o o l

020

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f e a t u r e

grafik 188—021

Upon the release of Acne Paper’s eleventh issue, Angharad Lewis met its designer, Christoph Stolberg, and discovered how he has an eye on the future of this burgeoning publishing classic.

Acne Paper has succeeded, since its launch in 2005, in becoming ‘event’ publishing—that elusive but much-sought-after status whereby readers are counting down the days till they can get their hands on the new issue. Despite this feather in its cap, desirability is not Acne Paper’s sole triumph and it is not just magazine-heads crossing off the days for its twice-yearly releases—the magazine also has a strong following in the fashion, design, photo-graphy and art worlds. Its credentials

were forged from the first, when cult Swedish ‘lifestyle brand’ Acne, formed in 1996, committed its vision to paper with the launch of a journal reflecting the brand’s spirit. Acne ‘the brand’ has made great skinny jeans-clad leaps since its conception as a purveyor of unisex denim, to become a fully-fledged fashion label admired and worn by top fashionistas.

Acne Paper, however, is more than a glorified company brochure—it has evolved into an autonomous fashion publication in its own right, with credible fashion stories featuring a diverse range of brands and a progressive editorial stance courtesy of editor-in-chief and creative director Thomas Persson.

Magnificent Eleven

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0 6 8 — g r a f i k 1 8 8

In the first of our new regular Illustration Profiles, Anna Lisa Reynolds meets Matt W. Moore, the prolific designer and illustrator from Portland, Maine, who seems to embody a new era of illustration. No surface—be it print, pixels or pavements—is safe from his “Vectorfunk”.

G188—Illustration Profile

T h i s p a g e — M a T T W . M o o r e a T

W o r k / o p p o s i T e — a L p h a f o N T

C U a T r o T y p e fa C e b y M a T T

W . M o o r e a v a i L a b L e f r o M

h y p e f o r T y p e . C o M

G188-p068-IllustrationProfile-MattWMoore.indd 68 19/01/2011 17:32

0 6 9

G188-p068-IllustrationProfile-MattWMoore.indd 69 19/01/2011 17:32

—g

ra

fik

18

8—

0 92

The Woolmark is one of those logos I grew up with. It’s been around my whole life and I have come across it in numerous itchy jumpers I have owned—but only now can I truly appreciate how effortless and timeless the design is.

Italian graphic artist Francesco Saroglia designed it in 1964 after winning a competition set by the International Wool Secretariat (IWS), a wool industry agency of the Australian government looking for a single universal image for wool quality.

Saroglia worked with fellow Italian artist Franco Grignani, the latter’s fluid Op Art style clearly visible in the design. Furthermore, the shape resembles a threefold Möbius strip.

Although the Woolmark’s purpose is simple —to indicate that a product contains 100 per cent pure new wool—apparently less than half of those who recognise the symbol globally are aware of this precise meaning. The same people, however, do seem to acknowledge it as a symbol of high quality.

It feels like a tribute to the success of the Woolmark brand that IWS actually changed its name to the Woolmark Company in 1997, thereby associating itself more closely with the well-known symbol.

Logoform Woolmark

Designed by Francesco Saroglia by Sabine Fasching, founder, Sabina

s a b i n a . c o . u k

G188-p092-Logoform.indd 92 17/01/2011 16:10

—L

og

of

or

m—

Saroglia collaborated with

fellow Italian Franco Grignani ,

who worked on a series of sci-fi

fiction book covers for Penguin

that were published during the

mid- to late 1960s. Both artists

were influenced by the Op Art

movement, and for Penguin’s

covers Grignani also incorporated

his experiments with photograms

on a black background.

T h r e e v e r s i o n s o f T h e W o o L m a r k L o g o .

f r o m T o p —

W o o L b L e n d ( i n d i c a T e s T h a T T h e p r o d u c T

c o n T a i n s 3 0 % – 4 9 % W o o L ) , W o o L m a r k

b L e n d ( i n d i c a T e s T h a T T h e p r o d u c T

c o n T a i n s 5 0 % – 9 9 % W o o L ) , W o o L m a r k

( i n d i c a T e s T h a T T h e p r o d u c T c o n T a i n s

1 0 0 % p u r e n e W W o o L )

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100

f o n t b o o k

1— f s b l a k e b y f o n t s m i t h 2 — k o r o l e v b y d e v i c e f o n t s

3 — p i e l s c r i p t b y v e e r

5 — o p e n t y p e f o u n d r y w i l s o n b y t h e f o u n d r y

4 — f o r z a b y h o e f l e r & f r e r e - j o n e s

Godeep

Process is more imPortant than outcome

Love your Experiments (as

Don’t borrow money.By maintaining financial control, we maintain creative control.

G188-p099-FontBook.indd 100 18/01/2011 12:42

g r a f i k 1 8 8 —101

e x t r a c t s f r o m b r u c e m a u ’ s

a n i n c o m p l e t e m a n i f e s t o , 1 9 9 8

8 — m r e a v e s b y e m i g r e

7 — r e d i s t u r b e d b y j e r e m y t a n k a r d

6 — c h a r l i e b y t y p o t h e q u e

you would an Ugly Child)

John Cage tells us that not knowing where to begin is a common form of paralysis. his advice : Begin anywhere

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106

What’s been your favourite project so far? White Noise, because it was shot on the foggiest day ever (I think). I love fog. Especially when combined with good music on my headphones.

What’s in your camera bag? Cameras. I use a Pentax K20D, Zeiss Ikon Ikoflex and Polaroid SX70 (to name the most important). Then there are rolls of film, SD memory cards—plus chocolate and other sweets.

What would be your fantasy commission? “Take pictures of Siberia, Matthias.”

Tell us about your recent ISOBERLIN exhibition. ISOBERLIN was my second solo exhibition. It took place at Neonchocolate Gallery, Berlin. The owners of the gallery contacted me when they saw my online portfolio, which was pretty cool. The gallery is really nice and we had a good time at the vernissage; everything was totally relaxed—all in all, a good collaboration. I hope I will get the chance to exhibit more often in the future, maybe outside of Berlin or even Germany.

Who are your heroes? The photographers Christoph Morlinghaus and Josef Schulz, the musicians Tim Hecker and Richard Devine, and, in real life, my girlfriend and parents.

Tell us a trade secret. Professionally speaking, I don’t know how to take a good photo.

Describe your work in three words. Lines, colours, no people (oh that’s four, sorry).

Matthias Heiderich

Photographer, Berlin

T h i s p a g e

& b e l o w r i g h T—

f r o m T h e s e r i e s

i s o b e r l i n , 2 0 1 0

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grafik 188—107

T a l e n Tl e f T—

f r o m T h e s e r i e s

c o l o r b e r l i n , 2 0 1 0

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