The Design Observer Twenty








2011-2015 Winners
2015 Books
2015 Covers
2014 Books
2014 Covers
2013 Books
2013 Covers
2012 Books
2012 Covers
2011 Books
2011 Covers

AIGA Archives

2016 Nominations

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100 Years, 100 Buildings
TITLE: 100 Years, 100 Buildings
AUTHOR: John Hill
PUBLISHER: Prestel Publishing

DESIGNER: Laura Lindgren Design
DESIGN FIRM: Laura Lindgren Design



17th-Century Chinese Paintings from the Tsao Family Collection
TITLE: 17th-Century Chinese Paintings from the Tsao Family Collection
AUTHOR: Stephen Little and Wan Kong
PUBLISHER: Lisa Gabrielle Mark/Los Angeles County Museum of Art and DelMonico Books/Prestel Publishing

DESIGNER: Lorraine Wild and Xiaoqing Wang for Green Dragon Office



27 Chicago Designers / When Art Becamr Design 1936 > 1991
TITLE: 27 Chicago Designers / When Art Becamr Design 1936 > 1991
AUTHOR: Jack Weiss and Joseph Michael Essex
PUBLISHER: Chicago Design Archives

DESIGNER: Joseph Michael Essex
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Joseph Michael Essex and Jack Weiss
ART DIRECTOR: Joseph Michael Essex
DESIGN FIRM: Essex Two



2CREATE
TITLE: 2CREATE
AUTHOR: Yoav Litvin
PUBLISHER: Schiffer

DESIGNER: Dan Michman
ART DIRECTOR: Dan Michman
DESIGN FIRM: Design Shop



A Game of Thrones
TITLE: A Game of Thrones
AUTHOR: George R.R. Martin
PUBLISHER: Penguin Random House

DESIGN FIRM: Apple, Inc.



A History of Brooklyn Bridge Park
TITLE: A History of Brooklyn Bridge Park
AUTHOR: Nancy Webster and David Shirley
PUBLISHER: Columbia University Press

DESIGNER: Vin Dang
ART DIRECTOR: Julia Kushnirsky



A House in the Country
TITLE: A House in the Country
AUTHOR: Peter Pennoyer and Katie Ridder
PUBLISHER: The Vendome Press

DESIGNER: Celia Fuller



A Japanese Constellation
TITLE: A Japanese Constellation
AUTHOR: Pedro Gadanho
PUBLISHER: MoMA

DESIGNER: Edwin van Gelder
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Edwin van Gelder
ART DIRECTOR: Edwin van Gelder
DESIGN FIRM: Mainstudio



A Japanese Constellation
TITLE: A Japanese Constellation
AUTHOR: Pedro Gadanho
PUBLISHER: The Museum of Modern Art

DESIGNER: Edwin van Gelder
DESIGN FIRM: Mainstudio, Amsterdam



A Man Lies Dreaming
TITLE: A Man Lies Dreaming
AUTHOR: Lavie Tidhar
PUBLISHER: Melville House

DESIGNER: Marina Drukman
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Marina Drukman
ART DIRECTOR: Marina Drukman
DESIGN FIRM: Melville House Publishing



A Super Upsetting Cookbook About Sandwiches
TITLE: A Super Upsetting Cookbook About Sandwiches
AUTHOR: Tyler Kord
PUBLISHER: Clarkson Potter

DESIGNER: Ian Dingman
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Marysarah Quinn
ART DIRECTOR: Stephanie Huntwork



Absoliuti Tekstile
TITLE: Absoliuti Tekstile
AUTHOR: Egle Ganda Bogdaniene
PUBLISHER: Publishing House of Vilnius Academy of Arts

DESIGNER: Ausra Lisauskiene
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Ausra Lisauskiene
ART DIRECTOR: Ausra Lisauskiene
DESIGN FIRM: -



AIR
TITLE: AIR
AUTHOR: VINCENT LAFORET
PUBLISHER: PSG

DESIGNER: Frank Garguilo and Dave Reynolds
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Brenda Bergen
ART DIRECTOR: Brenda Bergen
DESIGN FIRM: Wink Design Atelier



Alejandro Diaz: It Takes A Village
TITLE: Alejandro Diaz: It Takes A Village
AUTHOR: Rick R. Moore, Kathryn Kanjo, Rita Gonzalez, Franco Mondini-Ruiz
PUBLISHER: Linda Pace Foundation

DESIGNER: Anjali Pala
DESIGN FIRM: Miko McGinty, Inc.



Aleph
TITLE: Aleph
AUTHOR: Tirzah Goldenberg
PUBLISHER: Verge Books Chicago

DESIGNER: Pouya Ahmadi
ART DIRECTOR: Pouya Ahmadi



Alex Da Corte: Free Roses
TITLE: Alex Da Corte: Free Roses
AUTHOR: Edited by Susan Cross and Alex Da Corte
PUBLISHER: DelMonico Books _ Prestel | MASS MoCA

DESIGNER: Keri Bronk



Alex Webb: La Calle
TITLE: Alex Webb: La Calle
AUTHOR: Alex Webb
PUBLISHER: Aperture Foundation

DESIGNER: David Chickey



Alma Thomas
TITLE: Alma Thomas
AUTHOR: Edited by Ian Berry and Lauren Haynes
PUBLISHER: DelMonico Books _ Prestel | The Studio Museum in Harlem | The Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery at Skidmore College

DESIGNER: Pentagram, New York
DESIGN FIRM: Pentagram, New York



Among Strange Victims
TITLE: Among Strange Victims
AUTHOR: Daniel Salda_a Par_s
PUBLISHER: Coffee House Press

DESIGNER: Karl Engebretson
ART DIRECTOR: Karl Engebretson



Anthony Hernandez
TITLE: Anthony Hernandez
AUTHOR: Erin O'Toole
PUBLISHER: San Francisco Museum of Modern Art in association with Distributed Art Publishers/D.A.P.

DESIGNER: Lorraine Wild and Amy Fortunato, in association with Anthony Hernandez and Erin O'Toole
DESIGN FIRM: Green Dragon Office



Archie Rand: Sixty Paintings from the Bible
TITLE: Archie Rand: Sixty Paintings from the Bible
AUTHOR: Samantha Baskind
PUBLISHER: The Galleries at Cleveland State University

DESIGNER: Sarah Rutherford



ArtCenter College of Design Viewbook 2017-18
TITLE: ArtCenter College of Design Viewbook 2017-18
AUTHOR: Sylvia Sukop (editor) /Mike Winder (writer)
PUBLISHER: ArtCenter College of Design

DESIGNER: Xavier Cerilla
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Scott Taylor
ART DIRECTOR: Winnie Li
DESIGN FIRM: Design Office, ArtCenter College of Design



Artek and the Aaltos: Creating a Modern World
TITLE: Artek and the Aaltos: Creating a Modern World
AUTHOR: Nina Stritzler-Levine with Timo Riekko
PUBLISHER: Bard Graduate Center

DESIGNER: Julia Neller
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Irma Boom
ART DIRECTOR: Irma Boom
DESIGN FIRM: Irma Boom Office



Artists on Hanne Darboven
TITLE: Artists on Hanne Darboven
AUTHOR: Edited by Stephen Hoban and Kelly Kivland with Katherine Atkins
PUBLISHER: Dia Art Foundation

DESIGNER: Laura Fields
DESIGN FIRM: Dia Art Foundation



At Twenty-five
TITLE: At Twenty-five
AUTHOR: various
PUBLISHER: self published

DESIGNER: various
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Barb Woolley
ART DIRECTOR: Dominic Ayre / Frances Chen
DESIGN FIRM: Hambly & Woolley Inc.



Bahar Y_r_ko_lu, Devridaim/Flow Through
TITLE: Bahar Y_r_ko_lu, Devridaim/Flow Through
AUTHOR: Umut Altintas
PUBLISHER: Arter, space for art

DESIGNER: Umut Altintas
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Umut Altintas
ART DIRECTOR: Umut Altintas



Beyond Bling: Contemporary Jewelry from the Lois Boardman Collection
TITLE: Beyond Bling: Contemporary Jewelry from the Lois Boardman Collection
AUTHOR: Rosie Chambers Mills and Bobbye Tigerman
PUBLISHER: Los Angeles County Museum of Art

DESIGNER: David Karwan and Lorraine Wild



Bikenomics
TITLE: Bikenomics
AUTHOR: Elly Blue
PUBLISHER: Babilonia Cultura Editorial

DESIGNER: Rafael Nobre
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Rafael Nobre
ART DIRECTOR: Rafael Nobre
DESIGN FIRM: Babilonia Cultura Editorial



BLACK ROCK CITY, NV
TITLE: BLACK ROCK CITY, NV
AUTHOR: PHILIPPE GLADE
PUBLISHER: REAL PAPER BOOKS

DESIGNER: TERRIL NEELY/PHILIPPE GLADE
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: PHILIPPE GLADE
ART DIRECTOR: PHILIPPE GLADE



Blue. River. Apple
TITLE: Blue. River. Apple
AUTHOR: Nancy Nelson
PUBLISHER: Self Published

DESIGNER: Julie Varley
ART DIRECTOR: Cynthia Carbajal
DESIGN FIRM: Imagine Communications



BOLD: Alternative Scenarios for Chicago
TITLE: BOLD: Alternative Scenarios for Chicago
AUTHOR: Iker Gil
PUBLISHER: MAS Context

DESIGNER: Renata Graw, Alexa Viscius, Ansgar Kleem, and Rafael Barontini.
ART DIRECTOR: Renata Graw
DESIGN FIRM: Normal



Bonnie Cashin: Chic is Where You Find It
TITLE: Bonnie Cashin: Chic is Where You Find It
AUTHOR: Author: Stephanie Lake / Editor: Ellen Nidy
PUBLISHER: Rizzoli

DESIGNER: Jeanette Abbink
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Jeanette Abbink
DESIGN FIRM: Rational Beauty



BOOK MATES
TITLE: BOOK MATES
AUTHOR: Keith Godard
PUBLISHER: Works Editions

DESIGNER: Keith Godard
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Keith Godard
DESIGN FIRM: Studio Works



Border Cantos
TITLE: Border Cantos
AUTHOR: Richard Misrach
PUBLISHER: Aperture Foundation

DESIGNER: Masumi Shibata



Brain Freeze Journal
TITLE: Brain Freeze Journal
AUTHOR: Potter
PUBLISHER: Clarkson Potter

DESIGNER: Danielle Deschenes
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Marysarah Quinn
ART DIRECTOR: Danielle Deschenes



Branko Kincl monograph
TITLE: Branko Kincl monograph
AUTHOR: Zlatko Karac/Alen Zunic/Iva K_rbler/Hela Vukadin-Doronjga/Toni Beslic (authors); Slavica Markovic (Editor)
PUBLISHER: Kabinet grafike HAZU

DESIGNER: Nedjeljko Spoljar/Kristina Spoljar/Neda Segovic
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Nedjeljko Spoljar
ART DIRECTOR: Nedjeljko Spoljar
DESIGN FIRM: Sensus Design Factory Zagreb



British Rail Designed 1948-1997
TITLE: British Rail Designed 1948-1997
AUTHOR: David Lawrence
PUBLISHER: Ian Allan Publishing

DESIGNER: Theo Inglis



Bruce Conner: It's All True
TITLE: Bruce Conner: It's All True
AUTHOR: Rudolf Frieling and Gary Garrels
PUBLISHER: San Francisco Museum of Modern Art

DESIGNER: James Williams



BSK 50
TITLE: BSK 50
AUTHOR: Mark Isitt
PUBLISHER: Frank Architecture & Design

DESIGNER: Igor Kazakov, Kazakoff Design AB
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Igor Kazakov
ART DIRECTOR: Igor Kazakov
DESIGN FIRM: Kazakoff Design



By the People: Designing a Better America
TITLE: By the People: Designing a Better America
AUTHOR: Cynthia E. Smith
PUBLISHER: Cooper Hewitt

DESIGNER: Other Means
DESIGN FIRM: Other Means



Cane
TITLE: Cane
AUTHOR: Ilima Loomis
PUBLISHER: Watermark Publishing

DESIGNER: Steve Kiyabu
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Saedene Ota
ART DIRECTOR: Ashley Takitani Leahey
DESIGN FIRM: Sae Design



Carol Bove: Polka Dots
TITLE: Carol Bove: Polka Dots
AUTHOR: Text by Johanna Burton. Photography by Andreas Laszlo Konrath
PUBLISHER: David Zwirner Books

DESIGNER: Joseph Logan



Carrie Mae Weems: Kitchen Table Series
TITLE: Carrie Mae Weems: Kitchen Table Series
AUTHOR: Sarah Lewis and Adrienne Edwards
PUBLISHER: Damiani

DESIGNER: Takaaki Matsumoto
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Takaaki Matsumoto
DESIGN FIRM: Matsumoto Incorporated



Cathedral of the Pines
TITLE: Cathedral of the Pines
AUTHOR: Gregory Crewdson
PUBLISHER: Aperture Foundation

DESIGNER: McCall Associates



Celebrating the Saints
TITLE: Celebrating the Saints
AUTHOR: William Weedon
PUBLISHER: Concordia Publishing House

DESIGNER: Alex Ha
ART DIRECTOR: Tim Agnew



Centaur: The Noblest Roman
TITLE: Centaur: The Noblest Roman
AUTHOR: Jerry Kelly & Misha Beletsky
PUBLISHER: David R. Godine and The Book Club of California

DESIGNER: Jerry Kelly
DESIGN FIRM: Jerry Kelly LLC



Charles Percier: Architecture and Design in an Age of Revolutions
TITLE: Charles Percier: Architecture and Design in an Age of Revolutions
AUTHOR: Jean-Philippe Garric, editor
PUBLISHER: Bard Graduate Center and Yale University Press

DESIGNER: Barbara Glauber, Kelly Konapelsky
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Barbara Glauber
DESIGN FIRM: Heavy Meta



Charlotte Brooks at Look, 1951-1971
TITLE: Charlotte Brooks at Look, 1951-1971
AUTHOR: Lucy Flint
PUBLISHER: Davis Museum at Wellesley College

DESIGNER: Katherine Hughes
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Clif Stoltze
ART DIRECTOR: Clif Stoltze
DESIGN FIRM: Stoltze Design



Chris Cran, Sincerely Yours
TITLE: Chris Cran, Sincerely Yours
AUTHOR: Jos_e Drouin-Brisebois, Ryan Doherty, Nancy Tousley, William Wood and Bruce McCulloch
PUBLISHER: National Gallery of Canada

DESIGNER: Stefan Canuel
DESIGN FIRM: National Gallery of Canada



Classic Penguin: Cover to Cover
TITLE: Classic Penguin: Cover to Cover
AUTHOR: Edited with an Introduction by Paul Buckley, Preface by Elda Rotor
PUBLISHER: Penguin Books | Penguin Random House

DESIGNER: Paul Buckley and Matt Vee
DESIGN FIRM: Penguin Art Group



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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 06