Wim Crouwel: A Graphic Odyssey: Catalogue
From the Publisher. Published to celebrate the major retrospective at the Design Museum in London, this book presents the work of a graphic titan. A pioneer of the new modernity, Wim Crouwel in his early work anticipated the current computer era, and caught the sprit of early space age futurism. His programmatic approach to graphic design, his innovative use of grid systems, and his hunger for typographic experimentation, is as relevant today as it was when he first began working as a graphic designer in the 1950s.
But this is not a usual formulaic design book: instead, Crouwel’s posters, catalogues, documents, manuals—even his stamps and personal photographs—are presented in the raw, bare-concrete setting of the Crouwel archive.
As Tony Brook, the exhibition’s curator and the book’s co-editor and designer, notes: “This approach exposes the process of making an exhibition, and of imparting the sense of discovery as archive boxes are opened to reveal hidden treasure. It also gives a greater sense of Crouwel’s work as objects that functioned in the real world rather than mere representations seen in only in books.“
The book contains an interview with Wim Crouwel conducted by Tony Brook. During the course of the discussion, Crouwel describes his early life, his formative years—including his period at Total Design—and his philosophy of design.
The book comes with three different cover photographs, and a variety of title stickers. You can select the cover image you want (stickers are random). Out of print.
Wim Crouwel: A Graphic Odyssey is a catalogue that offers a very rare and insightful glimpse into a large collection of Crouwel’s posters, documents, and manuals. The center pages are dedicated to an interview with Crouwel (conducted by Tony Brook) offering an insight into his early life, his formative years, and his design philosophy. The book takes us on a truly inspiring voyage through the life and work of this design master.
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