Designers & Books Blog

 

856 blog entries
Interviews
By Steve Kroeter April 5, 2011

Graphic designer, educator, and writer Jessica Helfand agreed to share with Designers & Books how she selected the titles for her book list and speaks about books as constant companions in her life. An avid reader (“three or four things at once”), she gravitates toward the “unusual” and the “unorthodox,” admits to a level of absurdity “that is absolutely at the core of my personality,” and readily acknowledges the theatricality in the way she approaches books (“I started out as an actress!”). 

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Book List of the Week
By Steve Kroeter March 29, 2011

To get a feel for the remarkably varied and ever-present role that light plays in our lives, there is no better place to look than the work of the firm founded by lighting designers Jules Fisher and Paul Marantz. Over the course of the more than 40 years that they have worked together, their combined projects reveal the full spectrum of light as a constant social, cultural, and commercial force.

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Book List of the Week
By Steve Kroeter March 22, 2011

If The Divine Comedy isn’t on Seymour Chwast’s book list, it isn’t because he’s unfamiliar with it. In keeping with his stated interest in “visual language referencing culture and literature,” Chwast—the founder of the legendary Push Pin Studios,* along with Milton Glaser and Edward Sorel—is the latest in a long line of noted artists to have provided a personal interpretation of Dante’s 14th-century epic poem More...

Book List of the Week
By Steve Kroeter March 15, 2011

Among the books chosen by Akiko Fukai, Director and Chief Curator of the Kyoto Costume Institute (KCI) in Kyoto, is Issey Miyake: East Meets West. The title provides a symbolic link to the books selected by Claire Wilcox, Senior Curator of Fashion at the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) in London. More...

Booksellers
By Steve Kroeter March 8, 2011

We sent out our second monthly newsletter last week—which meant that some people hit reply and thoughtfully sent us return notes. We got one from Linda Golant, whom we are always particularly happy to hear from, since she owns The Fashion Bookstore in Los Angeles—a Designers & Books affiliated bookseller. More...

Book List of the Week
By Steve Kroeter March 1, 2011

Ivan Chermayeff and Tom Geismar have been working together for more than 50 years to create visual identities and brand personalities for their clients. The portfolio of their work together—including their partner, Sagi Haviv, who joined the firm in 2003—encompasses many of the world’s most recognizable logos and trademarks, from the Chase octagon to the NBC peacock. More...

Architecture
By Steve Kroeter February 22, 2011

The architects Steven Holl and Juhani Pallasmaa have a history of connections. Holl (an American) and Pallasmaa (a Finn) have important ties to each other’s home country. One of Holl’s best-known buildings is in Helsinki (the Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art, for which Pallasmaa was the local architect). Pallasmaa, who has held visiting professorships at four American universities, is an honorary Fellow of the American Institute of Architects. More...

Book List of the Week
By Steve Kroeter February 15, 2011

From Cynthia Rowley’s intriguing book list you get that she gets art. There are books about artists (John Currin and Rachel Feinstein); books about the lives of artists (by Calvin Tomkins); and also a book about the migration of minimalism from art and architecture to the sartorial arts (by Elyssa Dimant). Also, her business activities extend beyond fashion into the art arena: she is co-founder of Exhibition A, a website that sells exclusive editions of artwork by contemporary artists. More...

Book List of the Week
By Steve Kroeter February 8, 2011

In the introduction to his book The Vignelli Canon, graphic designer Massimo Vignelli writes: “Creativity needs the support of knowledge to be able to perform at its best.” You can see this passion for knowledge in the book list Mr. Vignelli has submitted to Designers & Books. More...

Designers & Books News
By Steve Kroeter February 1, 2011

Like good design, good books can make your life better. And designers are a great source of good book recommendations. That is why, today, we are launching Designers & Books. More...