Noisy Decent Graphics

Summer of Design Books: Graphic Designers

Not written by me, written by you as part of the Summer Of Design Books series. You can write and post a review too, go here and follow the simple instructions.
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I found this pair of jewels in the window of an antique books store.
I had never seen this collection before, anyone here did?
It seems there's been 4 volumes devoted to each side of the Atlantic, and I guess it's a japanese project.
Printed in Tokyo, photocomposition in Neuchâtel, lay-out designed by gan hosoya in the early '70s.
The inside of each book is divided in 4 parts, each one containg a quick presentation of the designer (sometimes written by the guy himself)

followed by a series of works.

The text is in french, english and german, so if you spot any of these anywhere, just jump on'em.

I tried to sum up each portrait in one sentence and one spread, and it goes a little some like this:

Graphic Designers Europe vol.2

Giovanni Pintori built his own house, and could build a boat as easily.

Edward Bawden travels, paints, and teaches a lot.

Hans Hillman: “JUST WORK”

Herbert Leupin is from the old school, but so Swiss…

Graphic Designers USA vol.1

Louis danzinger prefers to do less work and continue to remain more directly involved in its production.

Herb Lubalin talks about the future of the design business (i.e. the '70s): focus on the 25-yeras old people if you want to sell.

Peter Max closed his commercial studio to build a new art form: Cosmic Art (it is supposed to have a calming effect on the nervous system).

Henry Wolf is glad that big business is now looking for the odd-ball thinker to show him off.

Graphic Designers
USA Vol.1
1971
Europe Vol.2
1972

Bijutsu Shuppan-sha, Tokyo
& Office du Livre, Fribourg

No ISBN

And by the way, if you're around here I can guess you like design books reviews, right? So let me suggest you this amazing blog I discovered while preparing this post.

Summer of Design Books: Book Imprimé

Not written by me, written by you as part of the Summer Of Design Books series. You can write and post a review too, go here and follow the simple instructions.
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1985: Straight outta Washington DC, Susanna Shannon starts working in France with Etienne Robial at the Futuropolis editions.
1985: My father brings home avant-garde comic books published by Futuropolis. I really enjoy these, and the lettering on most covers is fascinating.

1993: Design Dept., the design studio co-founded by Susanna Shannon publishes Irrégulomadaire n°3, totally dedicated to the BHV shop. The cover is print on green + black on a green paper.
1993: In a design magazine, I notice loads of spreads from different issues of a strange publication called Irregulomadaire.
I learn that designers can publish their own stuff, and also that publishing a magazine only from time to time is possible and is even quite cool
The design of the pages is awesome, it'll inspire me a lot in my art student's work.

1996: SS  designs a lot of stuff for labor unions, especially in two colours, and especially for the newborn Sud, wild and tough.
1996: I put black+yellow Sud stickers against the privatization of France Telecom in the streets of my neighbourhood.

1998: Irregulomadaire is now at its 5th issue, and Design Dept. has the idea to design and sell a diary.
1998: I ask (and get) Design Dept.'s diary for christmas. I learn that using the scanner as a camera is possible and is even quite cool.

2001: S.S. is called to re-design L'Expansion, an economics magazine.
2001: I now am a freelance illustrator. I work for L'Expansion's AD, Jean-Paul Van Der Elst,  he tells me he's now working with this american girl, she's nice, but, you know, americans are sometimes a bit wild.

2006: S.S. is called to re-design Les Inrockuptibles, a magazine about culture.
2006: I'm so fed up with the editorial content of this magazine, I don't even notice the qualities of the design.

2007: Invited at the 18th International Poster and Graphic Arts Festival of Chaumont, I am lucky enough to meet up with Catherine. She's Susanna's assistant for a while now, she learned the design job from her and we talk until late about the right way to work, the printers, the photographers, etc. The wine flows.
A few weeks later she sends me this big red book, and I realise how much S.S. has been close to me all these years, how her design was a part of my environment, and its influence on my own work.
I have not met her yet, but as we seem to get closer year after year, I guess It may happen around 2010.
And one more spread for the road:

Book Imprimé
Déballage de design graphique

Susanna Shannon
pictures by Loren Leport

Irrégulomadaire + école des beaux-arts de Rennes 2006, Paris

ISBN 2 908373 56 4

Month 8

Can you guess what the song is? Found via Russell who found it via Dan.

You're probably not aware but there's a team of around 42 (plus interns) working on Noisy Decent Graphics these days. It's time we all had some well deserved rest. So apart from the excellent Summer Of Design Books reviews (more on that later) that's it until Monday September 1st, when we shall be back.

Same Bat channel, same Bat place, same Bat fonts.

Meanwhile keep the Summer of Design Books reviews coming in, they'll still go live in August. They're always really popular and I love reading them. Find out how to post one here and someone from the team will approve them as quickly as possible.