Stefan Sagmeister

Things to do before I die

This was in the back of Sagmeister's book, and I felt touched when I read it! Just wanted to share it with others.
I found the last point inspirational....'Touch somebody's heart with Graphic Design.'
Also i found his handwriting interesting, the way in with he writes in both upper and lower case and it changes frequently throughout.

Advertisement for a talk, hosted by the Detroit chapter of the AIGA, 1999.

Probably the most notorious poster that Sagmeister created, it was intended to reflect the ordeals of the design profession. Using cuts that were minimal, but deep enough for the letters to be legiable. Half way through creating this poster, Sagmeister began to have doubts but he said "but there was no going back - I had no other ideas."
The last hour of the incisions being made was the worst, when the ting credits around the pelvis were being carved in.
It signalled a turning point for the design profession, away from the aspirations of the digital profession, away from the aspirations of digital perfection toward higher appreciation for a designer's personal mark.

Fresh Dialogue

A self-promotional poster done by Sagmeister, this was offered to him as a pro bono job for a series of talks organised by the New York chapter of the AIGA.
The poster was to be aimed at an audience of designers, and therefore he wanted something creative and fresh to shock them. He came up with the idea of using a metaphor for the poster and as it was on the lecture series theme of up-and-coming designers in conversation, he used the idea of wagging tounges.
The thing I really love about this poster is that its all hand rendered, rather than using digital software, he went with organic and think this works well and it looks like notes written whilst in conversation. With the powerful metaphor of tounges sweeping over the text.
The poster paniced the event organisers when they recieved the design and asked for an alternative, however the AIGA (American Institute of Graphic Arts) took Sagmeister's suggestion that the design should be sent to the other speakers for their opinion on whether they thought the design was suitable. All parties agreed that the poster was suitable. Lisa Krohn - the only female speaker on the panel said "I thought it was hilarious."
There was a small design secret in the poster though, the toungues used in the design were in fact from a meat market, they were cow's tounges rather than humans. The only reason for this is that human tounges simply weren't long enough.
I love this work, I think the poster really draws your attention to find out what it is about, i think the way he has incorporated the tounges into the typeography itself is effective too.