Customer Reviews

Obey: Supply & Demand: The Art of Shepard Fairey

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I had always been a fan of the Rodchenko propaganda art from Russia's early Communist era. There was always something that just appealed to me, I recently re-discovered Shepard Fairey's work and began collecting up the pieces I liked most.
Shepard Fairey's work is dark, but inspiring; revolutionary, but also authoritarian.
This book is a chronicle of Fairey's evolution from sticker/t-shirt bootlegging teen to American Pop-Art icon, even if he might never want to characterize himself that way.
The book is hefty and handsome bound in red cloth with gold gilt colored text and the "Supply and Demand" print image on the cover.
It is full of Fairey's work and the story behind some of the street art he is famous for. There's also a glimpse into the philosophy of street artists, who separate themselves from what most people think of as simply vandals.
Fairey's run-ins with local police reveal much of the anti-establishment inspirations in his work. His anti-corporation campaigns and collaborations with musicians also inspire some of his best works.
A great book for the Shepard Fairey fan featuring much of his work from 1989 to 2005.
REVIEW EVERY BOOK YOU READ!

Forget most of those other graphic art fools from this generation who have books out now, this guy is the real deal. Although his art has it's obvious roots in classic graphics of prior generations, Fairey takes his work seriously and takes it to another level. He seems to make perfect art when he communicates and presents his ideas and ideals to us. In this book, from his original "Manifesto" to it's last page is perfect evidence of this mans' artistic genius and sensibility. Just a really great book all around, NO WAY WILL YOU BE DISAPPOINTED, it's big, colorful, and put together WONDERFULLY.

F I V E - S T A R S

I first saw Shepard Fairey's work at an exhibition in Canada in 2006. Despite being fairly ignorant to most of the arts, other than appreciating them on a basic level, something about Shep's raw screen printed images were very appealing to me.
I actually bought this book as a present for someone who was at the exhibition with me, but now I want a copy! From the brief glimpse that I got of it, I loved it. The book is beautifully put together, and seems to chronicle all of Shep's work, from when he first started plastering GIANT stickers everywhere through everything that has come from his central theme of 'Obey'... (and everything in between I guess).
I definitely want to get myself a few pieces of his artwork now, but they seem to get snapped up off of his website very quickly. Popular guy.
Anyway, from what i've seen of this book, I love it, and would recommend it highly to anyone who is into the street/urban art scene... or whatever... All I know is that his art is cool.

While I enjoy the work of Mr. Fairey, the production quality of the book was incredibly poor. When I opened the package from Amazon, I found the book had completely separated from the binding. I had a book and a cover. The quality of the printing just did not justify the price. I returned it for a refund.

You can be a lover of graffiti or street art. You can be a sucker for propaganda and posters. Regardless, you are bound to enjoy "Supply and Demand". In a coffee-table book format, it takes you through the evolution of the 'Obey' concept that made Shepard Fairey a legend in his own right in the world of urban art, from the early days when the figure of Andre The Giant was self-evident to the more recent evolutions of the concept, derived from it and incorporating gradually more Soviet-like design elements. More than just a nice book packed with great illustrations loaded with color, it is a reference of the evolution of an urban artist.

This exhaustive tome is all you will ever need to know all about Fairey's work to date. It's in a great format, the printing is superb, and many pieces of work / projects include insightful comments from a wide variety of sources as well as from Fairey himself. Really great reproductions of some epic work, loads of great site photographs, there's even some old camera-ready artwork here too. It's excellent value compared to other 'art' books that I know 'we' have already bought. Every designer / studio really ought to have this.

Dear friends:
This book shows a few things: how the medium is the message, how Shepard Fairey became one of the greatest american propaganda designers and how he represents an american art dream. Very didactic, inspiring, reflexive and extremely well edited book.

100% Recomended!!!

All the best from Barcelona!!

An impressive collection of works through his personal timeline. Beautifully bound, loving attention put to every part of the book. The printing is top-notch, a quality item all the way. There is a wonderful insight to the OBEY project, André the Giant, and many of the poster and print runs he's produced.

It sits proudly on my coffee table, bedside table, in my art studio.

Don't think, just spend the bucks, you'll be glad you did!

A must have as far as I'm concerned; an excellent history of his work in vivid detail. Loved seeing the original "Andre the Giant Has a Posse" sticker with roomate notes on the back. You can get it autographed if you buy it directly from Shep's website (not sure if this deal is still valid). Looking forward to the next edition if one ever gets made.

I bought this book for my girlfriend's thesis research on urban propaganda. It is an invaluable contribution to a real responsible expression of our own urban culture studies. We met Sheppard Fairey when he came down to Puerto Rico some years ago and were mesmerized by his work. His professionalism and his eye for detail on his technique mixed with his approach and use of the elements of design makes the message clear and relevant. Every time we see any of his work its a very pleasant and impressive experience.