Sagmeister: Made You Look (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Another self-indulgent design monograph (practically everything we have ever designed including the bad stuff) is Stefan Sagmeister's hand-scrawled subtitle for the first book about his work, Made You Look. This, and the book's clear red case and silver-gilded pages, seem contrary to the raw, handwritten style he is known for, already setting us up for a wild and very personal ride through almost the entire corpus of the 39-year-old designer's work. Sagmeister once scratched words into his skin for his own lecture poster at Cranbrook, and this is the book version--sometimes enlightening, sometimes embarrassing, always self-conscious, and ultimately touching. The story is a conversation between Peter Hall's text and Sagmeister's handwritten commentary, a perfect and believable device for an absorbing dialogue. Self-indulgent as Made You Look may be, Sagmeister lays himself open with idealism, irony, and humor, creating one of the most moving books about design. --Juliette Cezzar

Review

Sagmeister's work reveals a design schizophrenia: one moment, he's creating traditional designs that would make Massimo Vignelli nod in assent, -- Radical Graphics

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Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Booth-Clibborn (March 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1861542070
• ISBN-13: 978-1861542076
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 6.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,459,859 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Sucker, June 2, 2001

By	Calvin Florian (Atlanta, Ga United States) - See all my reviews

I've been suckered and wowed into a few design monographs, some of which were refreshing, some way to analytical and some just too abstract for any earthling to grab meaning from it.

Although no book/theories/processes can save anyone's design soul, seeing/understanding Stefan's work has helped me understand that all elements humor/angst/beauty/finesse/distress/ugliness/cynicism can be mashed into this design work we do and can be done without all of this pontification.

This isn't any sort of epiphany, it's just a reaction to all the pretty, high-style fashion driven stuff with no heart/no sense of self that has been floating around for some time.

From most of what I've read, humorous yet always self aware, I feel the connection of rock-n-roll/punk ethics expressed more than just see it. I think this example of pure self expression gives reason for anyone to continue to do this type of work.

12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Yummy! yummy!, April 21, 2001

By	kuang huang (New York) - See all my reviews

What a dilicious book. I savored every bite and thought about its unique flavor for days afterwards. If you buy only one book on graphic design in your life, thats the one.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I never review books BUT..., August 25, 2001

By	Susan Weber (LA, California USA) - See all my reviews

I actually READ this one! You know, not just look at the pictures. What a courageous, talented, outragous guy. His handwritten notes throughout the book were so incredibly easy to relate to, especially if you've worked in this business long enough to know what a "mechanical" is. I have admired this designer via other design annuals for years and I am thrilled he finally shared some of his design journal and work with us- all in his own words. Thank you, Stefan, for having the "balls"!