Becoming Stefan Sagmeister
The award-winning graphic designer updates his monograph, Things I have learned in my life so far
By Anne Quito, Superscript October 17, 2013
Stefan Sagmeister is staring at you. The clever cover of his now-updated monograph, Things I have learned in my life so far (Abrams), features a full frontal portrait of Sagmeister, with a system of die cuts and patterns alluding to the shifting faces and phases of the inventive graphic designer. The autobiographical volume comprises of 18 individual signatures each featuring a maxim from Sagmeister’s diary artfully rendered in various graphic bricolage—bananas, leaves, coins, neon lights, and urine. With a rock-star level cult following, Sagmeister’s award-winning design work has been the subject of numerous international exhibitions but he may be best known for the various acts of corporeal sacrifice in the name of graphic design. Never formulaic or predictable, his work straddles multiple dichotomies—private vs. personal; simple vs. complex; design vs. art. Sagmeister corresponded with Anne Quito on the making of the book.
Anne Quito: How do you begin conceiving the visual treatment for each maxim?
Stefan Sagmeister: In many of our typographic pieces, the message itself is very clear and straightforward while the typography itself remains more ambiguous and open for interpretation. I found that by utilizing an open typographic approach combined with the clear message, many viewers have an easier time relating it to their own experiences. We employ various typographic strategies from one project to another. Some are influenced by the environment they take place in, some by an outside element, some by personal experiences.
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The cover of Stefan Sagmeister's Things I have learned in my life so far, Updated Edition(Abrams).
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AQ: You quote the artist Donald Judd: "Design has to work. Art does not." Do you think that your notoriety as a designer has afforded you the status of an artist?
SS: I have always seen myself as a designer. Nevertheless, we are very happily involved in the design world as well as the art world professionally, just as I am involved in both worlds as a human being. If I go to the Museum of Modern Art, and right after to a supermarket, it's still me—Stefan—who interacts with either. Our self-generated work, which tends to be more culturally oriented, often influences our commercial work, and vice versa. From a purely pragmatic point of view, we have found the art world harsher and less fair than the design world.
AQ: This book is an update to the 2008 edition. Do you intend to keep updating the “Things I have learned in my life so far” series?
SS: For as long as it makes sense and we do feel we have something worthwhile to say, yes.
AQ: What have you learned today that was worth noting in your diary?
SS: Noticing the exact way water droplets hit my skin under the shower in the morning is much more enjoyable than letting my mind wander any which way.
Updated, January 31, 2014:
To celebrate the publication of the updated edition of Things I have learned in my life so far (Abrams), Stefan Sagmeister will host a book signing and interview at his New York studio and online on Thursday, February 6, 2014, 6:30–8:00 PM. Purchase a book to be signed. Can’t be in New York? Tell us what name you want him to sign and we will tweet you a photo. Follow #sagmeisterbook
An enhanced eBook with image galleries, videos, and 3-D diagrams is available exclusively on iBookStore.
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