Sagmeister & Walsh S & W Stefan Sagmeister page 4-5 Jessica Walsh pages 6-7 Combined Work pages 8-9 How Did The Two Come Together? pages 10-15 Meet the S & W Staff pages 16-17 The Happy Show pages 18-19 By The Sea pages 20-21 TAKE IT ON pages 22-25 Hand Craft pages 26-27 Aizone s Campaign pages 28-29 1
SAGMEISTER WALSH Sagmeister and Walsh are two of todays most relevant designers in the design world, but how did they rise to shine? Stefan Sagmeister and Jessica Walsh are two of the most up and coming deisgners in todays world. I had chosen the two to be displayed together for a few reasons. One would be how very similar their current work is, which ties into reason number two. Sagmeister and Walsh share a design firm in New York City. I put these two together for the audience to see how many ways type can be displayed to work and be visually appealing. Sagmeister could be described as pretentious, flashy, and some may say annoying, but what he does have is a good eye for good typography and good design. Stefan is from Austria but currently lives and resides in New York. Stefan has done many album covers for various artists including, Lou Reed, The Rolling Stones, Aerosmith, and Jay Z. He works alongside Jessica Walsh in their New York design firm, creating many pieces now using typography as a platform to build off of. In his early days of designing, he would use people including himself for posters and design work. Most famously, he carved his own body up for an AIGA poster from 1999 advertising a speaking interaction at Cranbrook. He attended Pratt Institute and University of Applied Arts Vienna. Jessica Walsh is a New York resident for life, born in 1986. She had her start attending Rhode Island School of Design and achieved her BFA in 2008. She is currently living in New York as a co-art director alongside partner Stefan Sagmeister. She works in as a graph- 2008. She is currently living in New York as a co-art director alongside partner Stefan Sagmeister. She works in as a graphic designer, art director as well as an illustrator. Teaming up with Sagmeister in 2012, the two would create work using typography as a new platform. She has most famously worked on projects for clients such as Levi s, Aizone, Adobe, and Colab Eyewear. She teaches design and typography at the School of Visual Arts in New York, represented by Creative Artists Agency. Walsh met up with designer and friend Tim Goodman and had decided to document their dating habits and issues and see if they could improve on it. 40 Days of Dating is what they had called their performance piece and it had blown up on the internet overnight. In September of 2013, Warner Brothers bought the rights to the story. 3
Stefan Sagmeister Stefan Sagmeister is a designer and art director from Austria who currently lives and works in New York City. He has worked for the Rolling Stones, The Talking Heads, Lou Reed, and The Guggenheim Museum, among many others. Exhibitions on his work have been mounted in New York, Philadelphia, Tokyo, Osaka, Seoul, Paris, Lausanne, Zurich, Vienna, Prague, Cologne & Berlin. He co-directed a documentary "The Happy Film" which premiered this spring at Tribeca Film Festival. A cunning trickster turns convention upside down, stretches the bounds of propriety, stomps on mores and taboos and alters popular perceptions. Stefan Sagmeister has long fit this bad boy bill. Known for upsetting norms, he tricks the senses through design, typography, environmental art, conceptual exhibitions and, lately, video. Long ago, Sagmeister, whose motto was Style=Fart, replaced style with attitude. His designs are rooted in disorienting images and self-defining aphorisms. With apparent ease, Sagmeister morphs as tricksters are wont to do taking on various skins, from graphic designer to conceptual typographer to performance artist. When the mood strikes, he returns to being a designer, and a completely new cycle of transformation commences. For an AIGA lecture in 1999, he famously had the lettering for the event poster carved into his naked body; for his 2003 Sagmeister on a binge exhibition poster, he ate 100 different junk foods, gaining more than 25 pounds, and took before and after photographs of his semi-nude body. For a short typographic film, he dangled out of an upper-story window of the Empire State Building as police scrambled with nets below. Born in Bregenz, Austria in 1962, Sagmeister began his unorthodox career at age 15 writing for Alphorn, a small, left-wing magazine, but quickly realized that working on the layout was more enjoyable than writing articles. He earned an M.F.A. at the University of Applied Arts in Vienna in 1985, and received a Fulbright scholarship to study at Pratt Institute in New York. Even as a young designer he was peripatetic: he took a position with the Leo Burnett Hong Kong Design Group in 1991. Surprisingly, the job did not trigger his rebellion, but it did give him a taste for other worlds. To b e stupid and s e l f i s h a n d t o have good h e a l t h a r e the three requirements for happiness. Though if stupidity is lacking, the others are useless. Any excuse to get away f r o m t h e computer screen is welcome. Stefan uses his deisgn skills as well as handcraft to create the piece from one of his most memorable quotes. 5
Jessica Walsh Jessica Walsh is a designer and art director living in NYC working for clients such as Jay-Z, Barneys, The New York Times, Levi s, and The Museum of Modern Art, among many others. Her work has won most major design awards and has been featured in numerous books, galleries, museums and magazines worldwide. She has received numerous distinctions such as Forbes Magazine 30 under 30 top creatives designing the future. Her book 40 Days of Dating is being turned into a movie. Jessica Walsh is a designer and art director living in NYC working for clients such as Jay-Z, Barneys, The New York Times, Levi s, and The Museum of Modern Art, among many others. Her work has won most major design awards and has been featured in numerous books, galleries, museums and magazines worldwide. She has received numerous distinctions such as Forbes Magazine 30 under 30 top creatives designing the future. Her book 40 Days of Dating is being turned into a movie. Get comfortable with the uncomfortable. Jessica uses a human canvas and the space behind her to create this ad called Forget Regret. Her book resulted in a instant fame, making apperances on The View and Today Show. Walsh was asked about how the impact of her book has set in for her audience, she replied, The funny thing is, I m less proud of the content and more proud of the realization that design can touch a mass audience like that. As much of a powerhouse deisgner she is, she still stays humble to herself and her beginnings. 7
Stefan Sagmeister and Jessica Walsh joined together on this piece, Talk Less, Say More. Stefan and Jessica start their career together by taking a series of photos, with and without their staff Sagmeister was asked, What inspires you at moments of creation? He answered with One of my most frequent sources of inspiration is a newly occupied hotel room. I find it easy to work in a place far 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.. When Jessica Walsh was asked, What is your creative philosophy? Jessica answered with I am interested in creating emotionally engaging, concept-driven work that is embodied in beautiful forms. I always try to approach the process in a playful way, with a sense of humor. I want people who view my work to experience or feel something, whether it makes them think, brings them joy, or offers them inspiration. I always aim to create functional work that achieves our clients goals. 9
Stefan Sagmeister & Jessica Walsh Sagmeister and Walsh have their own deisgn firm based out of their office in New York City. How did the duo meet up? When did they become the power deisgn team of todays modern age? How did they begin their firm? 11
Jessica Walsh, the deisgner we all admire and look up to today was once in the shoes of many college kids, unsure where to go but degree in hand. One night in February of 2010, she decided to contact Stefan Sagmeister, sending him a super-long, emotional email, unsure where to go in life. At this point, Walsh was hopefull, never even meeting Sagmeister. While interviewed at Printmag.com, she had this to say about that time in her life. Out of all the design studios in New York, his was always the only one that I really, really looked up to and admired because of the emotional quality of the work that he was doing. It wasn t just design it was story and authorship and content creation, so I really just wanted his advice in starting a studio. At the time he only had one person working for him. I didn t go there thinking it was a job interview I didn t even think it was possible to work with him. But he looked through my book and was like, Before you do that, let s try working on a few projects together and see if it works out. Upon receiving her email, Stefan recalled, Her portfolio was good, but what impressed me more was her enthusiasm, he says. It was very clear that she loved design and wanted to put everything she has into it. Two weeks later, the two met up and began work together. Years went by and Walsh had gained so much more information from a legend like Sagmeister that she felt ready to open her own firm. Stefan had other plans for the duo. Sagmeister and Walsh would spend the next several months negotiating a contract for the two. What kind you may ask? Stefan had made her an official partner. The two would make some of the best work in the modern era. Lets time travel for a moment, back to 1994 when Stefan announced his own design firm. We can recollect the postcard he made his annoucnement on. Forget it? Well, Stefan made his annoucnment with a fully nude photo of himself in all his glory. Walsh and Sagmeister had to make an announcement of their partnership and what better way than recreating an old work. The duo did the same naked photoshoot for their new design firm, Sagmeister and Walsh. This was still as affective in 2012 as it was in 1994 when Sagmeister was alone. Walsh says, When it first launched and a lot of people didn t know who I was and of course Stefan is such an established person in the community I can understand and empathize with why people were like, Wait, why is this 25 year old girl naked? You know what I mean? I can certainly see why people thought the things that they thought or stuff like that. They didn t know me or who I was or my work. 13
Walsh and Sagmeister made a splash with their revised version of Sagmeisters announcement. When Walsh was asked if she had any regrets over doing this shoot, she replied, No. I mean, it did exactly what we set out for it to do. Even more so than we could have ever expected. So no, I don t regret it. And in fact, it s been so freeing. Jessica was also a self proclaimed introvert, ansxious, shy, nervous, she kept to herself. Since the raunchy photoshoot of the duo standing for the world to see them, she says she has eveolved and become more open and developed a face. Over the years, she has been able to overcome her stage frieght and become a public figure for emerging Graphic Designers. I still think I m an introvert at heart, but it s definitely evolved a lot. Even two years ago, having this interview I would have been anxious for days before. 15
Which S & W members make up the Sagmeister & Walsh staff? Molly Brunk is a Project Manager from Miami, Florida working and living in New York. She s as sharp as her kneecaps. Graphic Designer and Art Director from Brazil. Before NYC, he founded his own Design Studio in Sao Paulo and worked at Colors Magazine in Italy. Fumi Omori is a designer from Japan who currently lives and works in New York. Meet the staff that makes up the Sagmeister and Walsh design firm. Based out of New York City, the firm is currently made up of members Stefan Sagmeister, Jessica Walsh, Molly Brunk, Felipe Rocha, Fumi Omori,Daniel Forero, Daniel Brokstad and Matteo Pani. Graphic Designer and Photographer based in NYC. Before Stockholm, before Buenos Aires, born in Bogotá. Graphic Designer and Illustrator from Norway, who s often traveling all over the world and can currently be found living and working in New York. Matteo is a designer from Sardinia who lives and works in New York. His biggest ambition is to make work socially useful. 17
The Happy Show was Filling the Institute of Contemporary Art s (ICA) entire second-floor galleries and ramp, and activating the in-between spaces of the museum, The Happy Show offers visitors the experience of walking into Stefan Sagmeister s mind as he attempts to increase his happiness via mediation, cognitive therapy, and mood-altering pharmaceuticals. 19
By the Sea Campaign The Aishti Foundation is a 40,000 sq foot exhibition space in Jal el-dib, a short drive up the Mediterranean coast from downtown Beirut. The foundation building will showcase works from Salamé s 2,000-strong collection as well as a variety of high end luxury retail shops. To celebrate the opening of The Foundation, Tony Salamé asked us to conceptualize and design a campaign around the intersection of fashion and art, while also highlighting its location by the sea side. 21
Stefan Sagmeister, with the help of his design team, was asked to create this years SVA Posters. We asked Stefan his thoughts on this years take on the project, as well as his thoughts on other subjects, including his show, The Happy Show. 23
If you have traveled on the New York subway platforms, you may have seen a man, covered in tentacles of an octopus covering his head. You may have seen a woman, a beautiful woman, covered with delicate swoops of hair, live the vines of a grape vine. There is also a man with large blocks sticking out of his head. All three posters, stare you down, whether you are directly ahead of them or you are off to the side. The message, may be clear to some; Take It On. Q. What gets you energized these days? S.S. The one constant that keeps me excited over a long stretch of time is traveling. I ve been on the road now extensively for over 20 years and its surprising to myself that I still get a huge kick out of it. I do try to steer my trips towards places I have not been before. I ll go to Colombia for the first time tomorrow. These series of posters were made and deisgned in the Sagmeister and Walsh design firm. The woman, we know as Miss Walsh, and the man with the block letters sticking out of his head is one of Sagmeisters partner, alumnus Santiago Carrasquilla. Here is what Stefan Sagmeister had to say when asked a series of questions for this years SVA designs. Q. As a teacher, what have you learned from your SVA students? S.S. Exactly that. My students prove without any doubt year after year that touching the heart of an audience member is indeed possible. Difficult, but possible. Q. Take It On is about confronting our fear of change. Yet the only constant in life is change. How are you changing right now? What brought it on and what are you doing about it? Q. Are you happy with The Happy Show? Q. You ve designed album covers for musical legends like The Rolling Stones, Talking Heads and Lou Reed. Ever secretly wish they d ask you to sit in with them? Q. Who is your dream client and what would you do for them? S.S. We are working on our first documentary film, a medium we know very little about, and it proves to be quite a challenge. We tried it because we are aware that if we keep doing the same things we ll get so bored that we won t be able to create anything new. S.S. Yes. We have received incredible feedback including the testimony of a 16-year-old boy who got his courage together and kissed a girl whom he had a crush on for a very long time. S.S. Oh no, no, no! I used to be in terrible bands and realized the giant difference between these people and what we produced in my parents basement. I d be terrible and scarred (rightfully) shitless. S.S. My standard answer used to be Coca-Cola, as it is such a visible brand having such an incredible impact on the visual culture of the planet, and it used to look so terrible. But now that they got their act together (without our help) and are doing quite good work, I have to come up with a new answer: Pepsi. 25
Limited edition packaging (editions of 10) for 3 of our most recent typographic films currently shown as part of the traveling exhibition The Happy Show. Each box contains an earthenware USB drive (specific to each film), a blu-ray disc and a certificate of authenticity. All boxes were individually written on by Stefan. 27
Stefan and Jessica use vibrant colors, bright imagery, and a pink horse to help create a series of visuals for Aizone s Creatove Campaign. 29
"Sagmeister & Walsh." Sagmeister & Walsh. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Oct. 2016. Behance. Sagmeister & Walsh on Behance. Behance. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Oct. 2016. @printmag. The Evolution of Jessica Walsh - Print Magazine. Print Magazine. N.p., 11 Jan. 2016. Web. 24 Oct. 2016. Discontent, The Great. Jessica Walsh on The Great Discontent (TGD). The Great Discontent. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Oct. 2016. 31