Sellebrity: My Angling and Tangling With Famous People [Hardcover]

George Lois (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 5, 2003

Born in the Bronx to Greek immigrant parents, George Lois left art school in his sophomore year and ultimately landed in the advertising department at CBS. He joined Doyle Dane Bernbach as an art director in 1959, immediately establishing himself as the talented "enfant terrible" of the American adverting industry. He left to start his own agency, Papert Koenig Lois, in 1961, where his seminal ads for such products as Smirnoff vodka and Coty cosmetics established him as a media darling as well as a master of the provocative sell. In October 1962 he began designing covers for "Esquire" magazine, among them the famed Andy Warhol shot, Muhammad Ali as St Sebastian (1967), and Claudia Cardinale, in a transparent vinyl dress, straddling a motorcycle (1966). Presciently anticipating the personality-driven ad world of today, Lois was one of the first creative directors to use celebrities - brilliantly and often outrageously - to express big ideas in ads, commercials, music videos and magazine covers. This book takes the reader through 140 campaigns and "Esquire" covers, featuring celebrities like Mick Jagger, Frank Sinatra, Jack Nicholson, Jacqueline Onassis, and Woody Allen; sports greats; famous politicians such as John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr; and clients ranging from Cutty Sark whiskey to Olivetti, "USA Today", American Airlines, Pepsi, Xerox, and the sports network EPSN.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

See descriptions. Lois has been inducted into the Art Directors Club Hall of Fame and is the recipient of an American Institute of Graphic Art (AIGA) Gold Medal. Now 72, he still runs his own company, Lois, and continues to consult for major ad campaigns and clients. Author's/Photographer's Residence: New York, NY

Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Phaidon Press; 1st edition (March 5, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0714842842
• ISBN-13: 978-0714842844
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 8.7 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,733,917 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I worked for this guy...., August 15, 2004

By 

E. Burgoyne "eddy b" (nyc) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sellebrity: My Angling and Tangling With Famous People (Hardcover)

I worked for George Lois at the end of the 1990s. This book, well, it's George. They read like tales that are larger than life. And to some extent, I even think that's what he wants you to believe. But the essence of it all says something else, for George really does live his life this way. All or nothing. Larger than Life. I don't know how many stories he told that I didn't hang onto every word. The glint in his eye, the hint of a sly smile. George is one of the last great verbal story tellers. And when you do read his book and wonder at the stories yourself, I am reminded of one of George's last ad campaigns. It was a PSA campaign for the New York Blood Bank. The campaign would not have existed if it wasn't for George calling on some of his celebrity friends to offer their time for free. Trump, Ed Koch to name a few...