this journey as an artist, one can discover art that they connect with conceptually and emotionally. One artist that stands out amongst many artists is this gem, Stefan Sagmeister. He is a contemporary graphic designer, typographer and performance artist. He has created tantalizing art striking the interest of famous entertainers, leading to commissioned works of art! It has been said that his intriguing and provocative designs refined the status of graphic designers (“Stefan Sagmeister | Biography, Designs and Facts”). Stefan was born
on August 6, 1962, in Bregenz, Austria. He began his career as an artist as early as middle school.
Creating a design for the schools’ magazine cover, his out-of-the box thinking, and persuasion led the students to help him create the cover for that magazine. They were directed to lie on the ground to form the letter “A” while he went on the roof top of the school to capture his work of art! Today, he creates non-commercial work at Sagmeister Inc, and he’s the co-founder of the design firm Sagmeister and Walsh based in New York City, partnering with artist Jessica
Walsh on this business venture. According to research (“Stefan Sagmeister | Life, Works, Quotes and Tips on the Design Process”) Sagmeister’s philosophy is the belief that graphic design can be just as powerful as a painting. “You can have an art experience in front of a Rembrandt… or in front of a piece of graphic design,” he said. Journey with me as we explore this philosophy.
LEFT IMAGE: The agency’s intern, Martin, cut all the type meant to communicate important information about the event into his skin. The invitation text was scratched into the skin of his torso, then photographed with a large format camera, which made every pore and every drop of blood clearly visible. His words : Yes it did hurt real bad. His body became the invitation/poster.
∑ 1
works of art is very signature to Stefan Sagmeister’s approach to design which directly correlates to his concepts of “experiencing” graphic design and not just “seeing” it. In his, Body Work Poster design ∑ 2 image, he takes the human body, particularly the torso and he converts’ it into a work of art. He does this by using text as an overlay on the body. The type of text he chooses is very strategic and a crucial factor on how the artwork is received emotionally. He uses handwritten type font. It appears as if the letters have been cut or etched into the skin giving it a “tattoo “style effect.
When posed with the question, “How do you decide when to use a typeface and when to use handwriting?” his response was “Of course we go with handwriting when the content is personal, emotional and deeply human, but we might also go against that and express personal content in deliberately cold typography. And vice versa.” (“Answers – Stefan Sagmeister”).
the series of posters, Take It On SVA, Sagmeister uses type and image boldly. This series promotes New York City School of Visual Arts. This is an “in your face” approach to design. Each poster is uniquely designed to be emotion driven. They all demand the attention of its viewers. Each poster provides it viewer with a different experience. Stefan is strategic with his use of typography and image in these ads. He uses bold type that protrudes from the skin yet does not break the skin in ∑ 3. In ∑ 2 poster, he uses textured type to mimic hair and the type is nontraditional, free flowing. In ∑ 1 poster, he uses octopi limbs to construct his type solution. He attempts to cover the face with this design which is nicely rendered. Each have a dynamic resolution that speaks to his philosophy.
away from the studio, where thoughts about the implementation of an idea don’t come to mind immediately but I can dream a bit more freely.
What inspires you at the moments of creation?
One of my most frequent sources of inspiration is a newly occupied hotel room. I find it easy to work in a place far
These are a few pieces from stefan
Sagmeister; s Happy Show Exhibition
HE Incorporates the use of lines and color in this exhibition. notice the patterns he develops as well.
“What’s been shown so far is that [collaborating] is very productive, because we ultimately have our interests in very similar trajectories, specifically in the personal, the human, but have very different ways to go about it simply because we are such different people.”
Stefan Sagmeister
loved to produce artwork as a series. In his, Happy Show, aizone spring / summer 2011 campaign images, he used humans as his canvas, a signature of his, as well as bold lines and color. His color choice is black and white. In this series, he did something different. He incorporated patterns onto the bodies of his subjects as well as the backdrop for the subject, subsequently blending his subjects into the canvas, he captures through
his camera lens. The pose of each subject varies per photograph. This approach to design is intriguing on the eyes. It can give the sense of an optical illusion which can translate into an emotion of fantasy. The playfulness of these images’ correlates to the experience of the Happy Show’s theme once again speaking to his philosophy.
Creating
This was truly became a diamond in the rough for the becoming of this muliti-talented
Ägratifying breakthrough for all of Stefan’s’ designs came through an opportunity that he capitalized on through a friends’ career launch! He was interested in making album covers because he was drawn to music, another art form. In 1993, when he started Sagmeister Inc, he sat out to recruit himself to music artist as their album cover designer. It was a challenge getting the music artist to give him the opportunity to prove himself however when he saw a loophole, he jumped through it! His music artist friend was launching his album and needed a cover designed for, Zinker’s Mountain of Madness. The album cover was a success. It was designed as an optical illusion and was mesmerizing. This out of the box thinking led him to be nominated for four Grammy awards! This also caught the attention of Lou Reed who then commissioned Sagmeister to do artwork for him on his album, Set the Twilight Reeling, in 1996. Due to his
philosophy, “You can have an art experience in front of a Rembrandt… or in front of a piece of graphic design,” he successfully demonstrates how graphic design is one of the most powerful tools an artist can use to give viewers unique and dynamic experiences.
we have journeyed through the life of this artist and a few of his dynamic works of art, we have discovered how his art connects conceptually and emotionally. Stefan Sagmeister, a contemporary graphic designer, typographer and performance artist, has created tantalizing art striking the interest of famous entertainers, leading to commissioned works of art! It has been said that his intriguing and provocative designs refined the status of graphic designers (“Stefan Sagmeister | Biography, Designs and Facts”) “By challenging the status quo and at times making audiences uncomfortable, Sagmeister had a profound impact on pop culture. Through his work in the music industry, he elevated the art form of design by taking
the audio and visual aspects of the record and turning them into a singular experience.” (“Sessions College”) “You can have an art experience in front of a Rembrandt… or in front of a piece of graphic design,” he said and proved.
Thank you for experiencing this philosophical journey with me I hope that you enjoyed your experience!
Pg 12 “Stefan Sagmeister | Biography, Designs and Facts.” Famous Graphic Designers, www.famousgraphicdesigners.org/stefan-sagmeister.
“Work – Sagmeister & Walsh.” Work –, https://sagmeisterwalsh.com/.
Pg 3 Stefan Sagmeister, https://kevingallagher.github.io/Stefan-Sagmeister/stefan3.html.
Creative, The Logo. “Designer Interview with Stefan Sagmeister.” The Logo Creative | International Logo Design & Branding Studio, 11 Oct. 2020, https://www.thelogocreative.co.uk/designer-interview-with-stefan-sagmeister/.
Bmw. “How to Design Happiness – Interview with Star Designer Stefan Sagmeister.” Stefan Sagmeister: How to Combine Design and Happiness | BMW.com, BMW, 30 Aug. 2021, https://www.bmw.com/en/design/sagmeister-design-happiness.html.
“Stefan Sagmeister – Life, Works, Quotes & Tips on the Design Process.” REAL ESTATE ARTS, 21 Oct. 2011, https://realestatearts.wordpress.com/2011/10/21/stefan-sagmeister-life-works-quotes-tips-on-the-design-process/.
Pg 3 Durant, Jen, et al. “7 Inspiring Quotes from Designer Stefan Sagmeister.” Redbubble Blog, 3 Apr. 2019, https://blog.redbubble.com/2015/02/stefan-sagmeister-inspiring-quotes/.
“Answers – Stefan Sagmeister.” – Stefan Sagmeister, https://sagmeister.com/answers/type-and-typography/.
Pg 6 “Literal Typefaced Advertising.” TrendHunter.com, TREND HUNTER Inc., 1 Oct. 2013, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/sva-take-it-on.
Pascalelemelin, |. “Stefan Sagmeister.” terencemquinn91, 3 Nov. 2015, https://pemcy.wordpress.com/tag/stefan-sagmeister/.
Pg 8-9 “Museum of Vancouver.” Melanie Bland, https://melbland.com/museum-of-vancouver.
Pg 14 Bogdan, Ana. “Stefan Sagmeister.” The Talks, The Talks, 5 Feb. 2020, https://the-talks.com/interview/stefan-sagmeister/.
“Sessions College.” Sessions College, 25 June 2021, www.sessions.edu/notes-on-design/graphic-giants-stefan-sagmeister.
Pg 4-5 Jahangiry, Natalie. “Design: Back to Basics - to Work or Play.” To Work or Play - a Blog of Two Halves: Lifestyle Guidance for City-savvy Socialites, and Insight, Inspiration and Opinion for Ad-curious Folk., 27 Feb. 2014, www.toworkorplay.com/work/we-love/passion-projects/design-back-to-basics.
Pg 10 “New Optical Illusion: An Oscillating Visual Paradox! | Punya Mishra’s Web.” New Optical Illusion: An Oscillating Visual Paradox! | Punya Mishra’s Web, 13 May 2018, www.punyamishra.com/2018/05/13/new-optical-illusion-impossible-and-oscillating.
Pg 10 https://artist-collector.com/fr/artistes/1245-stefan-sagmeister.html. artist-collector.com/fr/artistes/1245-stefan-sagmeister.html
This book design is inspired by Graphic Designer Stefan Sagmeister. It is designed by Grapic Designer Shanta Swinton. It is apart the designers design work as a student who attends the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. The type faces used in this book include Nueva Std and Outrun Future. It is for project purposes only and is not to be duplicated or used without the designers permission.
