The Design Observer Twenty





2018 | 50 Books Selections

2011-2017 Winners
2018 Books
2018 Covers
2017 Books
2017 Covers
2016 Books
2016 Covers
2015 Books
2015 Covers
2014 Books
2014 Covers
2013 Books
2013 Covers
2012 Books
2012 Covers
2011 Books
2011 Covers

AIGA Archives
2A.M. GUMBO: Age 23
2A.M. GUMBO: Age 23
AUTHOR: Jason Lin
PUBLISHER: Boose Studio
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Jason Lin
DESIGN FIRM: Boose Studio


44 Low-resolution Houses
44 Low-resolution Houses
AUTHOR: Michael Meredith
PUBLISHER: Princeton
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Michael Meredith, Alex Lin
ART DIRECTOR: Alex Lin
BOOK DESIGNER: Alex Lin
DESIGN FIRM: Studio Lin
OTHER CREDITS: Photography by Michael Vahrenwald


A Love Supreme
A Love Supreme
AUTHOR: Adalber Salas
PUBLISHER: Ediciones Letra Muerta
ART DIRECTOR: Faride Mereb
BOOK DESIGNER: Faride Mereb


An Unfinished Encyclopedia of Scale Figures without Architecture
An Unfinished Encyclopedia of Scale Figures without Architecture
AUTHOR: Michael Meredith, Hilary Sample & MOS
PUBLISHER: MIT
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Michael Meredith, Hilary Sample, Alex Lin
BOOK DESIGNER: Alex Lin, Paul Ruppert
DESIGN FIRM: Studio Lin


Álvaro Siza Viera: A Pool in the Sea
Álvaro Siza Viera: A Pool in the Sea
AUTHOR: Kenneth Frampton
PUBLISHER: Actar
BOOK DESIGNER: Edwin van Gelder and Michael Müller
DESIGN FIRM: Mainstudio
OTHER CREDITS: Editorial committee: Wiel Arets, Vedran Mimica, Lluís Ortega, Proofreading: Paul Hammond, Text supervision: Moisés Puente, Lithography: Hilko Visser


Belonging: A German Reckons with History and Home
Belonging: A German Reckons with History and Home
AUTHOR: Nora Krug (author, illustrator) / Liese Mayer (editor) / Kathryn Belden (editor)
PUBLISHER: Scribner
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: n/a
ART DIRECTOR: n/a
BOOK DESIGNER: n/a
DESIGN FIRM: n/a


Between. Monograph dedicated to the art of Kamil Kuskowski
Between. Monograph dedicated to the art of Kamil Kuskowski
AUTHOR: dr Łukasz Musielak, prof. dr hab. Kamil Kuskowski
PUBLISHER: Wydawnictwo Artystyczno-Naukowe Wydziału Malarstwa i Nowych Mediów Akademii Sztuki w Szczecinie
ART DIRECTOR: Ryszard Bienert
BOOK DESIGNER: Ryszard Bienert


Black Book
Black Book
AUTHOR: Hyung-Min Yoon
PUBLISHER: Information Office
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Hyung-Min Yoon
BOOK DESIGNER: Derek Barnett


Born Free and Equal:The Story of Loyal___________-Americans
Born Free and Equal:The Story of Loyal___________-Americans
AUTHOR: Joseph Maida; Ansel Adams
PUBLISHER: CONVOKE
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Isaac Haas
BOOK DESIGNER: Isaac Haas
DESIGN FIRM: Studio Hi, New York


Cabin Fever
Cabin Fever
AUTHOR: Bruce Grenville; Jennifer M. Volland; Stephanie Rebick (editors)
PUBLISHER: Information Office
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Derek Barnett
DESIGN FIRM: Information Office


Concrete Language
Concrete Language
AUTHOR: Ron Terada
PUBLISHER: Reider Group
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Ron Terada; Derek Barnett
BOOK DESIGNER: Derek Barnett
DESIGN FIRM: Information Office


David Goldblatt: Photographs 1948-2018
David Goldblatt: Photographs 1948-2018
AUTHOR: Rachel Kent
PUBLISHER: Museum of Contemporary Art Australia
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Alex Torcutti
ART DIRECTOR: Alex Torcutti
BOOK DESIGNER: Alex Torcutti
DESIGN FIRM: Museum of Contemporary Art Australia


Davide Balliano – Building Body
Davide Balliano – Building Body
AUTHOR: Chrissie Iles / Luigi Fassi
PUBLISHER: CURA.BOOKS
BOOK DESIGNER: Jeff Albert
DESIGN FIRM: WHYWHATIF
OTHER CREDITS: All artworks by Davide Balliano; Translations by Flavio Erra, Ginevra Quadrio Curzio, Stephen Piccolo


ECHOS
ECHOS
AUTHOR: Mara Marcu
PUBLISHER: Actar Publishers
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Mara Marcu
ART DIRECTOR: Mara Marcu
BOOK DESIGNER: Mara Marcu (University of Cincinnati DAAP SAID)
DESIGN FIRM: Mara Marcu with Actar
OTHER CREDITS: Editor: Mara Marcu // Student Editors: Kyle Winston, Alan Alaniz, Chas Wiederhold, Christina Tefend, Jamie Kruer, John Meyer, Anjana Sivakumar, Erin Klein, Daham Marapane, Michael Sullivan, Brady Ginn, Seher Hashmi, Gael Perichon, Farshad Khalighinejad, Kristin Moreno, and Garcia Ghislaine // Editorial Board: Edward Mitchell, Udo Greinacher, Elizabeth Riorden, Edson Cabalfin // Graphic Design: Mara Marcu with Student Editors // Copy Editor: Gabriela Sarhos


Eva Castiel – Estrangeira (Foreign)
Eva Castiel – Estrangeira (Foreign)
AUTHOR: Eva Castiel
PUBLISHER: WMF Martins Fontes
ART DIRECTOR: Gabriela Castro, Gustavo Marchetti, Paulo André Chagas
DESIGN FIRM: Bloco Gráfico
OTHER CREDITS: Graphic Production: Lilia Góes


Fredrik Værslev as I Imagine Him
Fredrik Værslev as I Imagine Him
AUTHOR: Fredrik Værslev
PUBLISHER: JRP|Ringier with Astrup Fearnley Museet
ART DIRECTOR: Zak Kyes
BOOK DESIGNER: Julie Kim, Teo Furtado
DESIGN FIRM: Zak Group


Frida Escobedo Serpentine Pavilion 2018
Frida Escobedo Serpentine Pavilion 2018
AUTHOR: Rebecca Lewin and Joseph Constable
PUBLISHER: Serpentine Galleries and Koenig Books
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Maricris Herrera
ART DIRECTOR: Maricris Herrera
BOOK DESIGNER: Emilio Pérez
DESIGN FIRM: Estudio Herrera


Giedion and America: Repositioning the History of Modern Architecture
Giedion and America: Repositioning the History of Modern Architecture
AUTHOR: Reto Geiser
PUBLISHER: gta Verlag/ETH Zurich
BOOK DESIGNER: Maike Hamacher, Valentin Hindermann, Madeleine Stahel; with Christa Lanz
DESIGN FIRM: Büro 146


Go! My Adventure Journal
Go! My Adventure Journal
AUTHOR: Wee Society
PUBLISHER: Clarkson Potter
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Jill Robertson, Rob Alexander
BOOK DESIGNER: Rob Alexander
DESIGN FIRM: Office
OTHER CREDITS: Lindley Boegehold, Clarkson Potter, Editor // Writer: Jill Robertson (Office)


Grlz + Veils: Cheryl Donegan
Grlz + Veils: Cheryl Donegan
AUTHOR: Bill Arning, Anja Aronowsky Cronberg, Daniel Baumann, Robert Buck, Johanna Drucker, Wade Guyton, Rem Koolhaas, Heidi Zuckerman; Ed. Sarah Stephenson
PUBLISHER: Aspen Art Press, CAM Houston, Kunsthalle Zürich
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: David Wise
BOOK DESIGNER: David Wise
DESIGN FIRM: Aspen Art Museum


Hank Willis Thomas: All Things Being Equal …
Hank Willis Thomas: All Things Being Equal …
AUTHOR: Lesley A. Martin
PUBLISHER: Copublished by Aperture Foundation and Portland Art Museum
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Bobby C. Martin Jr.
BOOK DESIGNER: Bobby C. Martin Jr.; Michael McCaughley
DESIGN FIRM: The Original Champions of Design
OTHER CREDITS: Samantha Marlow, Associate Editor; Susan Ciccotti, Senior Text Editor; Sally Knapp, Copy Editor; Lauren Harper, Madison Reid, Marisa Sottos, Work Scholars.


Hayv Kahraman
Hayv Kahraman
AUTHOR: Edited by Rebecca McGrew
PUBLISHER: Pomona College Museum of Art
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Kimberly Varella
ART DIRECTOR: Kimberly Varella
BOOK DESIGNER: Kimberly Varella
DESIGN FIRM: Content Object


Henry N. Cobb: Words & Works 1948-2018
Henry N. Cobb: Words & Works 1948-2018
AUTHOR: Henry N. Cobb
PUBLISHER: The Monacelli Press
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Chris Grimley
BOOK DESIGNER: Chris Grimley, Shannon McLean, and Anna Driscoll
DESIGN FIRM: OverUnder
OTHER CREDITS: Edited by Emma Cobb, Mark Pasnik, and Alan Rapp


Hilma af Klint: Paintings for the Future
Hilma af Klint: Paintings for the Future
AUTHOR: Tracey Bashkoff with David Horowitz
PUBLISHER: Guggenheim Museum Publications
BOOK DESIGNER: Barbara Glauber, Heavy Meta
DESIGN FIRM: Barbara Glauber, Heavy Meta


How We See: Photobooks by Women
How We See: Photobooks by Women
AUTHOR: Russet Lederman, Olga Yatskevich, Michael Lang
PUBLISHER: 10x10 Photobooks
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Laura Coombs
ART DIRECTOR: Laura Coombs
BOOK DESIGNER: Laura Coombs
DESIGN FIRM: Laura Coombs


I Was Raised on the Internet
I Was Raised on the Internet
AUTHOR: Omar Kholeif
PUBLISHER: Delmonico Books | Prestel with the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago
BOOK DESIGNER: Dylan Fracareta


John Edmonds Higher
John Edmonds Higher
AUTHOR: Capricious
PUBLISHER: Capricious
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Alex Lin
ART DIRECTOR: Alex Lin, Jena Myung
BOOK DESIGNER: Alex Lin, Jena Myung
DESIGN FIRM: Studio Lin


John Mawurndjul: I am the old and the new
John Mawurndjul: I am the old and the new
AUTHOR: Natasha Bullock
PUBLISHER: Museum of Contemporary Art Australia
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Alex Torcutti
ART DIRECTOR: Alex Torcutti
BOOK DESIGNER: Alex Torcutti
DESIGN FIRM: Museum of Contemporary Art Australia


Juliana Stein – Não está claro até que a noite caia (It is not clear until the night falls)
Juliana Stein – Não está claro até que a noite caia (It is not clear until the night falls)
AUTHOR: Juliana Stein
PUBLISHER: WMF Martins Fontes
ART DIRECTOR: Gabriela Castro, Gustavo Marchetti, Paulo André Chagas
DESIGN FIRM: Bloco Gráfico
OTHER CREDITS: Graphic Production: Lilia Góes


Learning to Read with John Baldessari
Learning to Read with John Baldessari
AUTHOR: Kit Hammonds
PUBLISHER: Fundación Jumex Arte Contemporáneo and JRP Ringier
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Maricris Herrera
ART DIRECTOR: Maricris Herrera
BOOK DESIGNER: Santiago Martínez Alberú
DESIGN FIRM: Estudio Herrera


Marcia Hafif: A Place Apart
Marcia Hafif: A Place Apart
AUTHOR: Edited by Rebecca McGrew
PUBLISHER: Pomona College Museum of Art
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Kimberly Varella
ART DIRECTOR: Kimberly Varella
BOOK DESIGNER: Kimberly Varella
DESIGN FIRM: Content Object


New Farmers 2014/2018
New Farmers 2014/2018
AUTHOR: D. Bryon Darby, Tim Hossler, Paul V. Stock
PUBLISHER: P&T Committee
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Tim Hossler
DESIGN FIRM: Tim Hossler Design


Past/Forward: The LA Phil at 100
Past/Forward: The LA Phil at 100
AUTHOR: Julia Ward; Robin Rauzi; Derek Traub
PUBLISHER: Los Angeles Philharmonic Association
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Kimberly Varella
ART DIRECTOR: Kimberly Varella and Jessica Fleischmann (still room)
BOOK DESIGNER: Kimberly Varella and Jessica Fleischmann (still room)
DESIGN FIRM: Content Object
OTHER CREDITS: Visual Curator for Forward: Aandrea Stang; Interviews by Tim Page; Color Separations by Echelon Color, Santa Monica


Police: A Field Guide
Police: A Field Guide
AUTHOR: David Correia and Tyler Wall
PUBLISHER: Verso
ART DIRECTOR: Andy Pressman
BOOK DESIGNER: Matt Avery


Polish Dance Theatre 1973–2018
Polish Dance Theatre 1973–2018
AUTHOR: Iwona Pasińska, Joanna Targoń, Anna Koczorowska
PUBLISHER: Polish Dance Theatre
ART DIRECTOR: Ryszard Bienert
BOOK DESIGNER: Ryszard Bienert


PRIMER
PRIMER
AUTHOR: Artist: Matthew Craven; Editor: Mark Iosifescu
PUBLISHER: Anthology Editions
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Keith Abrahamsson
ART DIRECTOR: Bryan Cipolla
BOOK DESIGNER: Nicholas Law
DESIGN FIRM: N/A
OTHER CREDITS: Foreword: Leslie Jones; Sales director: Casey Whalen; Publishing coordinator: Grace Srinivasiah


Pulp II: A Visual Bibliography of the Banished Book
Pulp II: A Visual Bibliography of the Banished Book
AUTHOR: Shubigi Rao
PUBLISHER: Studio Swell, Rock Paper Fire
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Benson Chong, Felix Sng
BOOK DESIGNER: Benson Chong, Felix Sng
DESIGN FIRM: SWELL
OTHER CREDITS: Creative Concept: Shubigi Rao, Editor: Leena Teneja Rao


Sally Mann: A Thousand Crossings
Sally Mann: A Thousand Crossings
AUTHOR: Sarah Greenough et al.
PUBLISHER: National Gallery of Art, Washington
BOOK DESIGNER: Margaret Bauer
OTHER CREDITS: Image manager: Sara Sanders-Buell; Production assistant: Mariah Shay


São Paulo: A Graphic Biography
São Paulo: A Graphic Biography
AUTHOR: Felipe Correa
PUBLISHER: University of Texas Press
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Felipe Correa and Devin Dobrowolski
BOOK DESIGNER: Neil Donnelly and Ben Fehrman-Lee
DESIGN FIRM: Neil Donnelly Studio
OTHER CREDITS: Book photography by Kris Graves; pre-press and color separations by DZA.


Sixfold Symmetry: Pattern in Art and Science
Sixfold Symmetry: Pattern in Art and Science
AUTHOR: Rachel Seligman and Rachel Roe-Dale
PUBLISHER: Tang Teaching Museum at Skidmore College
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Barbara Glauber
BOOK DESIGNER: Barbara Glauber & Grace Han
DESIGN FIRM: Heavy Meta


Songs for Sabotage: 2018 New Museum Triennial
Songs for Sabotage: 2018 New Museum Triennial
AUTHOR: Gary Carrion-Murayari, Alex Gartenfeld
PUBLISHER: Phaidon
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Mỹ Linh Triệu Nguyễn
ART DIRECTOR: Mỹ Linh Triệu Nguyễn
BOOK DESIGNER: Mỹ Linh Triệu Nguyễn, Eric Lee
DESIGN FIRM: STUDIO LHOOQ
OTHER CREDITS: Curatorial Assistant: Francesca Altamura


Soul of the Nilgiris: A Journey Through the Mountains
Soul of the Nilgiris: A Journey Through the Mountains
AUTHOR: Ramya Reddy
PUBLISHER: Ramya and Rajesh Reddy
ART DIRECTOR: Ramya Reddy and Cleber Rafael de Campos
BOOK DESIGNER: Cleber Rafael de Campos // email: [email protected] /
DESIGN FIRM: Self-published
OTHER CREDITS: Printing and Prepress: PRAGATI OFFSET, HYDERABAD, India


Spaces of Disappearance: The Architecture of Extraordinary Rendition
Spaces of Disappearance: The Architecture of Extraordinary Rendition
AUTHOR: Jordan H. Carver
PUBLISHER: UR | Urban Research
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Isaac Gertman
DESIGN FIRM: The Independent Group
OTHER CREDITS: Copy Editor: Stephen Hoban; Proofreader: Caitlin Blanchfield


Speculations on Anonymous Material, nature after nature, Inhuman
Speculations on Anonymous Material, nature after nature, Inhuman
AUTHOR: Susanne Pfeffer
PUBLISHER: Koenig Books
ART DIRECTOR: Zak Kyes
BOOK DESIGNER: Julie Kim
DESIGN FIRM: Zak Group


Takashi Murakami: Lineage of Eccentrics: A Collaboration with Nobuo Tsuji and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Takashi Murakami: Lineage of Eccentrics: A Collaboration with Nobuo Tsuji and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
AUTHOR: Edited and with an introduction by Anne Nishimura Morse
PUBLISHER: MFA Publications, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
BOOK DESIGNER: Takaya Goto, Lesley Chi, and Sho Momma, Goto Design, New York
DESIGN FIRM: Goto Design, New York
OTHER CREDITS: Edited by Anna Barnet; editorial assistance by Tomoko Nagakura; Translations by Martha McClintock, Ruth S. McCreery, Yuiko Kimura, Yuiko Hotta, and Yuko Sakata


The Senses: Design Beyond Vision
The Senses: Design Beyond Vision
AUTHOR: Ellen Lupton & Andrea Lipps
PUBLISHER: Princeton Architectural Press
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: David Genco
ART DIRECTOR: David Genco
BOOK DESIGNER: David Genco & Ellen Lupton
DESIGN FIRM: David Genco Inc.


Thomas Demand: The Complete Papers
Thomas Demand: The Complete Papers
AUTHOR: Christy Lange
PUBLISHER: MACK
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Naomi Mizusaki
BOOK DESIGNER: Naomi Mizusaki
DESIGN FIRM: Supermarket


Unboxing New York
Unboxing New York
AUTHOR: ODA
PUBLISHER: Actar
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Alex Lin, ODA
ART DIRECTOR: Alex Lin
BOOK DESIGNER: Alex Lin, Jena Myung
DESIGN FIRM: Studio Lin


Walls Turned Sideways: Artists Confront the Justice System
Walls Turned Sideways: Artists Confront the Justice System
AUTHOR: Risa Puleo
PUBLISHER: [NAME] Publications
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Aaron Sutherlen and Stacy Asher
ART DIRECTOR: Aaron Sutherlen and Stacy Asher
BOOK DESIGNER: Aaron Sutherlen and Stacy Asher
DESIGN FIRM: Aaron Sutherlen and Stacy Asher
OTHER CREDITS: Under the editorial direction of Natalia Zuluaga, Lucie Steinberg, and Gean Moreno; Co-Published by Contemporary Art Museum Houston





Observed


Is the future of refugee housing permanence?

It’s Pablo-matic: Picasso According to Hannah Gadsby,” explores Picasso‘s legacy through a feminist lens, asking if, when, and how modern audiences can separate the artist’s work from his infamously misogynistic behavior.

Quite possibly the most fascinating job opportunity in design right now.

Jessica Helfand on using AI as a tool to reverse-engineer a historical narrative.

Rethinking the city.

Rethinking the planet.

The problems of the user interface, one streaming service at a time. More here.

Urban design, with safety in mind. And that includes parks.

Think design thinking is over? Think again.

A museum renames a vegetable still life by Van Gogh that identified the wrong kind of allium.

Graphic design and typography obsessives—look no further!

“The challenge isn’t just that our systems default to keeping the “unlike” out,” notes Jens Martin Skibsted, “but we are, rather, in need of an interconnected worldview that appreciates the existence of other realities and contexts.”

Neville Brody’s new monograph (his THIRD)—covering his work for Nike, Coca-Cola, Tate Modern and Channel 4, as well as various informational graphics and magazine editorials—will be published next month by Thames&Hudson.

Milan Design Week wants to know your most memorable experience. Ours is easily Shaped by Water, an immersive experience exploring water as a source of inspiration for design. Co-created by Ivy Ross and her design team in collaboration with the water, light, and sound artist, Lachlan Turczan. Vote for your favorite here.

Non-profit design advocacy agency Where are the Black Designers? (WATBD?) has announced a year-long partnership with digital product studio Ustwo.

“He was mulling a career in graphic design when, at 17, he saw a searing image that would change the course of his life.” The American photographer Kwame Brathwaite has died. Considered the catalyst fo the “black is beautiful” movement in the 1960s, Braithwaite’s career spanned art, music, and more. He was 85.

The subtley, simplicity, and curious symbolism of the humble serif.

After a career of looking at pictures, she is now making them. George Gendron talks to Kathy Ryan, longtime director of photography at The New York Times Magazine.

COLLINS co-founder and Chief Creative Officer Brian Collins and co-founder and Chief Executive Officer Leland Maschmeyer will speak on branding and creativity at OFFF Barcelona this weekend.

“I can’t imagine any person with a background in graphic design made that thing without a committee of bland politicians sanding away its edges until they felt safe enough to unveil that to the public.” Behold: Logogate!

Black designers, curators, and more.

How do you stop deep-sea trawlers from harming ecosystems? Commission 10-ton marble sculptures and place them on the ocean floor, of course.

For ten years, Matt Needle has reimagined every best picture award nominee by redesigning their posters.

Coca-Cola...and art?



Jobs | June 09