karlssonwilker inc.'s tellmewhy: The First 24 Months of a New York Design Company (Turtleback)

~ (Author), Jan Wilker And Hjalti Karlsson (Author), Stefan Sagmeister (Foreword) "meeting with a good client: "how are you?..." (more)
Key Phrases: hellmut hattler, mary fagot, beth sereni, Curious Boym, Paul Sahre, Backstreet Boys (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

...by the time you get to the firm's album covers for the Vines, you'll be a jaded industry expert. -- Washington Post

A disarmingly honest account...A surprisingly engaging book that raised a smile. -- Grafik: Journal of the Best in International Design

It takes guts to publish a book showcasing your failures, doodles, and unrealized projects as well as your successes. -- STEP Inside Design

The good, the bad, and the hungry tale of two young European designers setting up shop in New York. -- ReadyMade

a gift to anyone starting their own design office. -- Susan Yelavich, I.D. The International Design Magazine

Product Description

Why would two talented and employable young graphic designers start up their own practice without any clients, in the midst of a recession, and in a city brimming with world-renowned designers? Karlssonwilker inc.’s tellmewhy is the improbable story of such a venture—or act of bravura or insanity—on the part of Hjalti Karlsson and Jan Wilker, and offers a telling, humorous, and always human insight into the workings of a young startup design studio, showcasing every single project they did in their first two years.

A book as iconoclastic as their designs, tellmewhy features fresh stories of karlssonwilker’s ordinary office live and its less-than-romantic tales about rooftop parties, battles with immigration, language obstacles, missed meetings, and money problems. Despite these stories—and because of others—karlssonwilker has produced an impressive body of work in two short years. Tellmewhy shows the happy endings, including signage for a Philadelphia restaurant, logo designs for a New York fashion house, and CD packaging for both independent and major music labels. And it presents the few unrealized designs, like an ad campaign for a TV network. All share the designers’ creative and humorous take on design. Karlssonwilker intersperses these examples with its singular illustrated diagrams, faux flow charts linking the partners’ biographies, work, social lives, and whatever comes to their unique minds.

Tellmewhy offers both inspiration and caution for designers everywhere.

A foreword by former employer Stefan Sagmeister recalls karlssonwilker’s start in his design office.

Product Details

• Turtleback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Princeton Architectural Press; 1 edition (September 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1568984162
• ISBN-13: 978-1568984162
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 6.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #408,070 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars MADE WITH GOOD LITTLE TREES, October 10, 2003

By	Brian Brooks (KENTUCKY + USA) - See all my reviews

At work I often times like to check out what's hot on the graphic design book circuit at Amazon.... This past Monday was no exception.... as I was browsing I came upon karlssonwilker's "tellmywhy" .... I was already a fan of Hjalti Karlsson's work from his hay days with Stefan "el capitan de designo" Sagmeister.... and thought it would be great to read up on how life was after "style=fart" .....I hit the add to cart button.... received the book in the mail 2 days later.... and couldn't put it down till I was done consuming all of its goodness.....

If there were a survey that came along with this book it would look like this:

Did you like this book? YES
Is this book enjoyable? YES
Did you find the book funny/smart/genius/interesting/sexy? YES
Would you recommended it to your friends? YES
If this book were a music album, would you buy it in all of its different formats? YES

well played karlssonwilker!

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A graphic design book that doesn't take itself seriously?, October 11, 2003

By	Stefan Kjartansson (ATLANTA, GA United States) - See all my reviews

I haven't been able to put this book down all day. I brushed my teeth with it, took a shower with it, spilled my morning coffee on it, almost passed a red light while reading it. "Tellmewhy" captures the true spirit of creativity and the struggles of two people to stay original in a society that endorses "safe" graphic design. I highly recommend this book... oh, and say hi to Hjalti's mom.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Humor, wit and extremely good design what else do you want?, October 2, 2003

By	Kris McCaddon - See all my reviews

"Tellmewhy" is essential for any graphic designer, chock full of beautifully designed pieces the small studio did in their first 24 months of opening. Karlssonwilker tell us everything, from the most used words in the office to the studio's favorite lunch time drinks - complete with detailed graphs and charts. It's refreshing to see all the humor included, a much needed and appreciated change for a design monograph. Buy this book, you'll thank yourself later.