Gestalten

Every graphic designer and advertising professional knows the drill. After a logo or corporate design has been created, it needs to be presented and sold to a client. Showing preliminary drafts on paperboard isn t adequate. In order to communicate the idea behind the design, it is much more effective to present it in the application for which it is meant whether on a shopping bag, on a company car, in a brochure, or on a variety of other products. This method of presentation makes designs come to life and gives the client a real idea of how they will work and why. Blank Slate is a compilation of 400 photographic dummies of everyday objects that are depicted in the book and can also be downloaded for free as digital files. With the help of these dummies, any designer can present his or her work in the way that gives clients the most concrete grasp of how their corporate designs will function in the real world. Until now, hardly any suitable dummies existed for creating such presentations. The few that did exist were of moderate quality and high prices. In a similar fashion to our bestseller Neubau Welt, the handbook Blank Slate provides designers with inspiring examples and practical digital tools that will make the implementation, presentation, and sale of their work much easier.

Even today, men who devote themselves to the finer things in life especially when it comes to fashion mostly arouse suspicion. Vanity is frowned upon and lavish grooming is generally deemed superficial or unmanly. Fortunately, a small but tenacious movement has been defying these social dictates for more than 200 years. Its adherents indulge in their love of quality clothing and accessories not only privately, but also very publically. Photographer Rose Callahan and writer Nathaniel Adams have spent years exploring the fascinating phenomenon of dandyism. They visit contemporary dandies in their homes to document their impeccably designed lives in both words and images. Well-kempt to the tips of their beards and wearing three-pieces suits with flawlessly folded pocket handkerchiefs and supple kid gloves, their protagonists revive the charm of the past and reveal that cultivated idleness can be incredibly hard work. These gallant beaus first came on the scene in eighteenth-century London and Paris, where they supported the livelihoods of many a local tailor. Today s dandies continue to propagate a look characterized by trimmed beards, pomade, velvet slippers, and even a touch of make-up as a shield to mask the darker sides of life. Yet in their carefully composed portraits, Callahan and Adams reveal the cracks in this facade. They describe the sacrifices that many full-time dandies need to make while pursuing their personal aesthetic ideals. A refuge for eccentrics, dandyism has seen a revival in the Anglo-American realm over the last several years. For example, today s distinguished gentlemen can ride their vintage bikes around London during the Tweed Run to show off their authentic outfits or attend the Jazz Age Lawn Party on New York City s Governor s Island to bring the era of the Great Gatsby back to life, if only for a few hours. Now, the phenomenon is again going more international. Known for their Dandy Portraits, the spiffy duo of Callahan and Adams approaches their topic and their protagonists with a keen, yet empathic eye. In this book, they successfully capture the styles, attitudes, and philosophies of contemporary dandyism in all its nuances.

Looking through an atlas has always been a fascinating way to explore the world. Around the World is a contemporary evolution of an atlas tailored to our information age. With eye-catching graphics, current topics, and clear texts, the book is for anyone who is curious about the state of our planet and how we live today. Alongside classic facts about nature, history, population, culture, and politics, Around the World’s compelling information graphics thoroughly explain complex processes that impact our lives such as global trade and changing demographics. The book gives added insight into our modern world through its visual exploration of subjects such as eating habits, overfishing, and internet providers, as well as events that have left indelible marks on our collective conscience including September 11, the Olympic Games, Japan’s Fukushima disaster, and the sinking of the Titanic. Enthralling, attractive, and revealing, Around the World is a rich cornucopia of information about local peculiarities of global relevance that bring home the little differences—as well as the astoundingly large similarities — among the citizens of our world.

Francesco Franchi's perceptive book about the design of media and information graphics. In it, Franchi also envisions the future of news reporting by publishing companies and on the internet. Francesco Franchi is one of the most exceptional talents working in information graphics today. Although relatively young and new to the field, Franchi has already received worldwide acclaim for his distinctive graphic and editorial design of IL — Intelligence in Lifestyle, an Italian magazine now widely considered to be a modern classic. With Designing News, Franchi conveys his vision for the future of news and the media industry. Based on personal insight and experience, he offers valuable analysis and perspectives on the fundamental changes that are taking place in the way media is being used. Franchi explores consumer behaviors and expectations that represent the biggest challenges facing traditional publishing houses and broadcasting companies as well as journalists and designers. For Franchi, reporting is not merely filing a story once, but rather telling a continuous narrative in a way that is most relevant for a broad range of traditional and digital media — from breaking news to analysis, from interviews to commentaries, and from photo essays and illustrations to information graphics and interactive visualizations of data. In this book, Franchi explains the ramifications of this development and how newspapers can become credible, comprehensive news brands. In Designing News, Franchi also outlines a new, integrated approach for editorial designers. If they show enough dedication, creativity, and talent for interdisciplinary teamwork, Franchi sees editorial designers as playing a key role in advancing the evolution of media.

What does an illustrator actually do and in what fields can one work? Today's most successful illustrators present their work and talk about their experiences in one of life's most beautiful careers. Illustration is no longer just illustration. Today, illustrators write and create children's picture books and graphic novels; they structure information through infographics; they design logos, fonts, and other typographical applications; they contribute to the editorial design of newspapers and magazines; they apply their talents to advertising and fashion; and they develop and produce their own products on the basis of their creations. Despite the fact that all of these activities are based on illustration, each of them has its own rules and its own specialists, tasks, and job descriptions to go along with them. Against this background, A life in Illustration gives an insider's look at the diverse facets of this creative medium through extensive portraits of today's leading illustrators. Perceptive texts and images describe the work and day to-day activities of outstanding talents including Christoph Niemann, Andrea Ventura, Jan van der Veken, Peter Grundy, Jessica Hische, and the New York Times's Jonathan Corum. Stars on the international scene give their personal insights into the Handson aspects of working in specific areas of illustration. Editorial illustrator Olaf Hajek and fashion illustrator Liselotte Watkins, for example, explain how a subject must not only be depicted with savvy, but also in the style of the publication in which the work will appear. Information graphics specialists Jan Schwochow and Francesco Franchi explain why the content of their work must be absolutely correct — and how it often needs to be researched and visually dissected with dogged perseverance. Children's picture books creator Oliver Jeffers explains why the mastery of visual storytelling and a sense for timing and the development of narration are essential to a story's success. Although the work of the featured commercial illustrators is very different, all of them tell of the high demand placed on them in terms of teamwork, sensitivity to client needs, and creative implementation. These aspects are not necessarily expected by those who still think of illustrators as tradespeople who simply execute the ideas that are given to them. A life in Illustration is a strikingly personal documentation of what working in various jobs at the intersection of art and creativity, amid personal work, teaching assignments, clients, and bread and butter projects actually feels like. As such, the book is not only inspiring for those already working as illustrators, but also reveals perspectives and hurdles for those considering a professional future in this field.

Monocle is one of the most successful magazines to be developed in the past decade. Armed with an unmistakable sense of aesthetics and journalistic tenacity, its team—led by editor in chief Tyler Brule — has created an intelligent publication that continually inspires a global readership who are interested in everything from diplomacy to design. For its first-ever book, the editorial team looks at one of their core themes: how to live well. The result is The Monocle Guide to Better Living, an original, informative, and entertaining collection of writing, reports, and recommendations. This is not a book about glitz but rather an upbeat survey of products and ideas meant to be treasured and last.

In this book celebrity wedding planner and stylist Fiona Leahy will inspire you to not only have an incomparable ceremony best-suited to your wants and needs, but to throw one hell of a party that everyone will enjoy. She reveals her hands-on tips and tricks for creating a relaxed and freshly original celebration — from a bohemian open-air rhapsody to a punk-rock karaoke extravaganza. Just Married brims with a wide range of extraordinary locations, handmade letterpress invitations and decorations, delectable wedding cakes and buffets, striking wedding dresses, bouquets, and, of course, wedding rings and other accoutrements. Although the featured suggestions might be different from what is traditionally expected, they are always tasteful and will embolden anyone to make their own unique visions for their wedding day a reality.

A photographic exploration of a divided country. Until 1989, both Germans and Koreans suffered the same fate of living in a divided land. The historical reasons for the separation of Germany into east and West and Korea into north and south are very different and therefore difficult to compare. still, the many similarities of Korea's division — the segregation of its citizens, the tearing apart of families who could no longer have contact with one another, the suffering of those who attempted to escape and paid with their lives or years spent in prison or work camps — make it almost impossible for Germans to visit Korea without thinking of their country's own experiences. In 2006, the German architecture photographer Dieter Leistner had both the opportunity and official permission to photograph public spaces in Pyongyang. His images show bus stops with long lines of people waiting, spruced up government buildings, bronze statues of Communist heroes, soldier cemeteries, flower markets, and wide avenues with only a few cars and people. In 2012, Leistner visited Seoul, where he sought and found similar locations with a very different feel. In Seoul, for example, the bus stops looked like oversized televisions, the bronze statues were of kings of the long-gone Korean empire, the flower markets neighbored on fish markets with a vast selection of wares, and the streets were choked with cars and people. This visual concordance speaks for itself and needs no commentary. In addition to its striking selection of images, Korea-Korea contains excerpts from two diaries. The first is by Philipp Sturm, who grew up in East Germany and accompanied Dieter Leistner to Pyongyang in 2006. The second is by Hehn-Chu Ahn, who was born in Germany to Korean parents and has regularly visited Seoul since her childhood. Their writings give readers two distinctly German interpretations of this foreign land.

Oasis showcases a stunning selection of baths, spas, retreats, and other relaxing getaways that not only cater to our personal well-being, but also creatively push the frontiers of hospitality, interior design, and architecture. This book brings together a rich assortment of contemporary locations for indulging both our bodies and our minds—places to let go, be pampered, relax, and refocus. From public saunas to choice health clubs and five-star resorts, the spectrum of retreats ranges from minimalist spaces of tranquility to glamorously opulent temples of body care. Brimming with lavish photographs, Oasis serves as the ultimate guide to addressing and re-imagining our physical and mental need for escape and tranquility.

Jan Van Der Veken is one of the most distinctive and sought-after illustrators from the motherland of comics: Belgium. Influenced by Herge’s iconic atom style, art deco, and classic modernism, his personal technique bridges the gap between contemporary design and timeless mastery. In Fabrica Grafica Van Der Veken explores a variety of very current, often controversial themes including sensory overload in our digital age, industrial espionage, and reaching the end of the career ladder. His seemingly simple style helps him to disarm such topics with charm and the wink of an eye without ever making fun of them, trivializing them, or being presumptuous. An essay by respected Belgian illustrator Ever Meulen elucidates the compelling approach of Jan Van Der Veken and other Belgian artists to visual communication.

Carsten Nicolai brings art, architecture, and music together in one inventive project. syn chron documents artist and musician Carsten Nicolai's eponymous project — in analog form as a book and in digital form on an included DVD. The centerpiece of syn chron is a mobile space that simultaneously serves as a body for transmitting acoustics, a resonant room, and projection surface. This space, which was constructed by Werner Sobek, is a crystalline architectonic structure whose translucent, synthetic skin is a medium for sonic and optic impulses. Electronic music composed by Nicolai generates projections of modulated light that are triggered by lasers. Visitors can enter the structure and experience it from the outside. Nicolai has presented many concerts in this installation, including those at the New National Gallery in Berlin, at Ycam in Yamaguchi, and at biennials in Berne and Singapore. This book showcases syn chron in a rich selection of images and texts. The included DVD features supplementary audio and video material. One of Germany's most famous contemporary artists, Carsten Nicolai has been working at the intersection between art and science since the early 1990s. In the books Grid Index, Moire Index, and cyclo. id, he successfully documented fundamental visual and sonic structures.

Over the seven decades of Pablo Picasso’s artistic career, there were subjects to which he returned again and again. These include women, bulls, and the Old Masters as well as political and literary themes, circus people, mythical creatures, and interiors. In order to further explore his changing personal perspective on these subjects, this large format, 300-page book showcases Pablo Picasso’s graphic work in chapters structured according to these recurring themes. Women, Bullfights, Old Masters presents 200 graphic prints, lithographs, drawings, and collages from Pablo Picasso’s artistic beginnings in the early 1900s to his late works from the 1960s. Ranging from black and white to colorful, the artwork represents his various styles from classic to cubistic to surrealistic. The included texts not only examine the work in a historical context, but also reevaluate it from a contemporary point of view. This book juxtaposes a selection of Pablo Picasso’s graphic works with the classical paintings that inspired them. The visual dialog that results reveals interesting parallels and the clear influence of Old Masters such as Rembrandt, Cranach, and Goya on Picasso’s work. Women, Bullfights, Old Masters is rounded out by a biographic chronology, a detailed list of Pablo Picasso’s artworks, and a bibliography.

Homecoming presents work by an emerging generation of Chinese architects that uses unique design and working approaches to resist generic mass construction and foreign iconic building. In particular, these architects are offering resistance against the rapid urbanization that has dominated the Chinese landscape. By responding to a local Chinese context, they have raised the avant-garde of China's architectural design practice in recent years. The title of the book has multiple meanings for the featured architects. For some, “homecoming” is returning back to China after they have studied and lived abroad. Others understand working with the rural as “coming home” to discover their ancestors and traditional roots. All may also refer to personal memories and perceptions they have of the Chinese countryside.

Lang / Baumann's abstract spatial interventions meld architecture with art, urbanism, and installation. More is more? The Swiss architecture office Lang / Baumann is renowned for its bold spatial interventions. They are colorful, striking, and rigorous — a far cry from the restraint typically shown by their countrymen. Beautifully presented in this monograph, the work of these masters of experimental spatial design is a call for more audacity in using large-scale geometric abstraction and pop art to create compelling temporary installations or to showcase spaces and brands. While their radical embellishment of the streets of Swiss mountain village Vercorin with bright lines garnered them worldwide attention, Lang / Baumann have also done a variety of other work that gives new impulses to our eyes and thoughts. They have, for example, used swaths of color, fingers of light, massive pipes, inflatable elements, or absurd staircase constructions to project plans, designs, analyses, and technical drawings because, well, more is more!

Today, luxury travel is having time for exceptional places and unparalleled experiences. The world has become smaller. Today, travel is simple, affordable, and no longer a true luxury. But there are still extraordinary places to discover and experiences to be had. The promise of special moments makes one want to take a journey--whether the budget is large or small. Once in a Lifetime is about a new way of traveling to destinations and staying there. The book explores the true luxury of taking time for exceptional locations as well as unparalleled experiences and opportunities. Whether far away or close to home, it it introduces places that allow us to discover the world and ourselves anew. It's these key reasons that make all of them worth the trip. The examples featured in Once in a Lifetime are located throughout the world: from enchanging tree house hotels and glamping sites to incredible eco-friendly and wellness resorts; from farms on which guests help with the work and simple hotels in spectacular scenery to glamorous houses, trains, and boats. These destinations are not about superficial pomp; but, rather, they represent a conscious choice for quality ways of slowing down our hectic lives. Renowned travel journalist Marie le Fort is co-editor of Once in a Lifetime and author of texts featured in the book. She is a regular contributor to publications such as Architectural Digest, Wallpaper, Numero, L'Express and the French edition of Vogue on topics related to travel and design.

The first monograph on Germany's most popular street artist. xoooox was the first German street artist to come to prominence on the international art market. His prints have been shown in numerous international exhibitions and sold at auction. This book is xoooox's first monograph. It focuses mainly on his portraits of female models that he prefers to stencil or wheat-paste onto surfaces of older buildings scarred by the passage of time. The contrast between the strikingly beautiful women and the crumbling walls is a fundamental aspect of his creative vision. Other work featured in xoooox is a clever critique of consumer culture. For example, the artist reinterprets logos of brands such as Hermés or Chanel to make people aware of how easily dazzled they can be by the superficial promise of luxury. Or he morphs an H&M logo into the letters HIV as a statement against the leveling effect of global clothing brands that are spreading around the world like a virus. The documentation of xoooox's work on the street is complemented by photographs of select exhibitions and of the artist at work. The book is edited by Benjamin Wolbergs, an author and photographer who specializes in subjects related to urban art.

New spaces for new learning — not just in kindergartens, schools, and universities. How well we learn is directly linked to where we learn. In our digital age, an enormous amount of information is easily accessible. Against this background and because lecture-style teaching is no longer popular, knowledge is inevitably passed on differently now than in previous times. Today, the spaces in which we learn in various phases and situations throughout our lives have to look differently than those in the past in order to meet our current educational needs. New spaces promote learning by inspiring us, providing us with helpful tools, and facilitating opportunities for productive cooperation and the exchange of ideas within groups. Learn for Life is a diverse collection of inspiring architecture and spaces that support progressive and collaborative models of acquiring knowledge. In addition to new interpretations of traditional places for learning including kindergartens, schools, universities, libraries, and educational centers, the book also features commercial buildings whose architectural innovation is redefining our understanding of what it means to develop professionally in offices, corporate headquarters, conference rooms, convention centers, and laboratories. Also included are more experimental projects such as flexible, informal, and temporary installations and exhibits that offer further perspectives on the rapidly evolving topic of how best to learn in the new millennium. The examples presented in Learn for Life also show how color, light, and the organization of space as well as playful elements and surprises can be used to support learning. In short, the work presented in this book makes clear that the creative use of architecture and interior design not only provides a new physical framework for acquiring knowledge, but also revitalizes and advances the process of learning as a whole.

Graphic design and illustration from the Communist Era. A common assumption is that everything was gray behind the Iron Curtain. But nothing could be farther from the truth. Socialist graphic design from the 1950s to the 1970s is startingly innovative and colorful — and a unique inspiration fro current work that is being influenced by classical modernist style trends. Iron Curtain Graphicspresents a selection of graphic design, illustration, and typography from the former Eastern Bloc. There, designers were bound by strict rules established by the state regarding the overall visual language they could use. Despite (or exactly because of) this fact, the work collected in this book is a testament to the creative and experimental nature of the applied art they created under these circumstances. The chapters Propaganda, Safety at work, Culture & Entertainment, and Education & Science feature posters and signs as well as book and magazine covers that have not lost any of their visual power or impact today — despite the demise of the regimes for which they were created. Iron Curtain Graphicsis edited by Stefania Carla Duschka and Ciprian Isac of Atelierul de Grafica from Romania.

Since starting out as a photographer in the mid-1960s, Boris Mikhailov (b. Kharkov, Ukraine, 1938; lives and works in Kharkov and Berlin) has built a wide-ranging and strikingly multifaceted oeuvre. A virtuoso of his art, he has explored a great variety of ways of using the medium to paint a picture of his immediate surroundings that is as unsparing as it is ironic. His unflagging critical engagement of photographic techniques and the work with different cameras and stylistic devicesas well as the alternation in his oeuvre between conceptual photography and documentary approaches render him the preeminent present-day photographer whose work reaches back to the Soviet era. The book — which accompanies his largest exhibition in Germany to date — brings together a selection of works that includes the experimental pictures of his early years as well as his most recent photographs created in Berlin. With essays by Thomas K hler, Christina Landbrecht, Olga Sviblova, and Jan Verwoert.

Arigato means thank you in Japanese. On March 11, 2011, a powerful earthquake and subsequent tsunami devastated northeastern Japan. As the dramatic extent of the destruction became clear, a variety of aid initiatives were founded. Several aimed to use the power of creativity and art to offer the direct victims positive experiences as well as to bring the country together. Of these, the Arigato Project is the best known internationally. Arigato means thank you. First and foremost, this book expresses Japan's heartfelt appreciation for the help and kindness it received from so many people around the world in the aftermath of this natural disaster. In doing so it showcases the inspired creativity generated by the multifaceted Arigato Project since its founding. Arigato features diverse work that deals with themes of love and thankfulness from fields including product design, furniture design, graphic design, illustration, and art. In addition, the book documents the art events and workshops that took place in the affected region and gave its people the chance to work through their traumatic experiences or simply to find a bit of happiness through creativity. The Design Association NPA, internationally known as the host and organizer of Tokyo Designers Week (TDW), is the initiator of the Arigato Project and editor of this book. Arigato also presents other exhibits and events from TDW 2011 that demonstrate how dynamic Japan's current design scene is despite the recent natural catastrophe — or partially because of its galvanizing effect.

To eat in a way that is better, more delicious, more aesthetic, and more passionate is the collective goal of an international scene comprised of independent producers, shops, restaurants, activists, designers, and event managers. Eating is so much more than merely fulfilling a fundamental bodily need. Eating appeals to all of our senses; it boosts our well-being on every level. Now, more than ever, it is an expression of our mindset, identity, spirit, and culture. Around the world, a scene of young food entrepreneurs is developing a trend that brings together creatives, tradespeople, and activists. This scene aspires to deal with both the food that we need, and the food that we enjoy, in more creative, more sensuous, and more responsible ways. It is united by a passion for making food an experience as well as by a high appreciation for the quality, origin, aesthetics, and workmanship of food. Delicate introduces the protagonists at the forefront of this current movement along with the projects, places, and products associated with them. The book documents a wide spectrum from small brewers, coffee roasters, and chocolate-makers to artists, event managers, and creators of zines. vent concepts are shown that use food to facilitate communication and social interaction in tried and true, as well as surprising new ways. Locations such as shops, markets, and restaurants become meeting places for everyone who would like to learn, participate, sample, and enjoy. The experimental projects featured in Delicate are blazing trails for a better understanding of nourishment and a new passion for food.

When, in 1909, the color photography pioneer Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii began his journey to capture all of Russia in color images on behalf of the czar, the scope and importance of his undertaking were clear. Since 1905 he had planned to systematically document the empire with the color photography technique he had developed in order to give all Russians, particularly schoolchildren, a deeper connection to their country. He petitioned Nicholas II long enough that the czar finally provided him with a specially equipped railroad-car darkroom and the necessary travel permits. Before he commenced what would become a six-year expedition, Prokudin — Gorskii — like most of his contemporaries — had no idea what his fellow countrymen from the distant regions of Russia looked like or how they lived. His color images were not only meant to document the diverse citizens, ethnicities, settlements, folklore, and landscapes of a vast empire, but to create nothing less than a common identity for its populace. The subjects of Prokudin-Gorskii's landscape photography range from the medieval churches and monasteries of old Russia to the railroads and factories of an emerging industrial power. Although one of his first and most famous portraits was of the prominent writer Leo Tolstoy, Prokudin-Gorskii also captured an impressive range of Russia's heterogeneous population: from day laborers to owners of large estates, from a simple ferryman to an elegant emir, from Jewish families to proud Don Cossacks. Prokudin-Gorskii's expert use of color and his skilled eye make his images especially vibrant and timeless. A century later, they have not lost any of their original beauty and intensity. Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii fled Russia in 1918 in the aftermath of the October Revolution. After traveling through Norway and England, he settled in Paris, where he died in 1944. The United States Library of Congress purchased his work in 1948, but it was only recently laboriously restored. Nostalgia showcases these restored masterpieces of early color photography that are a milestone in Russia's cultural history.

Gestalten's best-selling Los Logos series documents and indicates design styles and trends in contemporary logo design worldwide. The highly-anticipated latest edition, Los Logos 6, is the definitive handbook and barometer of recent work. The 400-page compendium returns to the familiar landscape format and features an unparalleled selection of cutting-edge examples from around the globe. The book provides an authoritative overview of current developments and advancements in logo design, the essential creative discipline that defines the visual identity of brands and companies as well as their philosophies. Gestalten's pioneering Los Logos was published in 2000. As its predecessors, this sixth edition honors and expands upon the work of this acclaimed series, which has often been copied but remains unrivaled. Fully indexed and intuitively structured, Los Logos 6 draws connections between the applications and the fields for which the featured logos were intended. The book not only celebrates the latest innovations in contemporary logo design, but is also a precursor to coming styles and trends.

Going out to enjoy eating, drinking, and spending time together is practically a basic human need. Digital networking and social media have increased our demand and appreciation for face-to-face encounters and genuine experiences in the real world. The places where one chooses to eat or drink play almost as important a role as the company one keeps while doing so. The more unusual or authentic the surroundings, the more exciting or memorable going out becomes. Designers, architects, interior designers, artists, and gastronomes from around the world are creating extraordinary possibilities for bringing together friends, partners, business associates, or even strangers. Let's Go Out! provides a current overview of trailblazing spaces that go well beyond the classic models of restaurants, cocktail bars, and clubs. The projects in Let's Go Out! clearly demonstrate the essential role that concept and furnishings play in our experience of eating and drinking. These inspirational examples appeal to all of our senses and, in the process, they hone both our taste buds and our visual awareness.