Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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!

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.

"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.

Quite possible one of the most honest and funny books on design, I kid you not. Truly entertaining and thoughtful for designers of any field, not just graphic design. It works both as a story and an inspirational monograph of their quirky and smart work.

I purchased several copies for many friends in design and plan on purchasing several more. No doubt this would make a great stocking stuffer for the designer in your life and with Amazon's discounted rate with Super Saver Shipping it seems ridiculous to only buy just one copy.

This book belongs between TIBOR and MADE YOU LOOK. One on the funniest and smartest books on design there is. Period.

First off, this is not a self help book for designers looking to open their own firm. I'm not sure why the person below me thought that. However, the side effect of wanting to start a firm does sink in after reading this. I read the book cover to cover in a few hours, as I had a hard time putting it down. They could have titled this book, "The Advertising Adventures of Hjalti and Jan". Point is, there is something every designer here can relate to: dealing with clients. The ones you hope to get, and the ones you hope don't call back. What i find particularly inspiring is how this book has not changed them. if you go to their site: http://www.karlssonwilker.com/ they are still rockin the same website. Then again, maybe they haven't had time to change it once all the jobs poured in from this book's success. Or perhaps, they are just like you and I, working from a loft trying to make a dent in the design world, and hoping to be published in the design annual. That's what sets this book apart from most monographs, is that they don't achive ultimate success in the end. They are still bidding for clients and that keeps them humble. There is no secret behind their method of design, other than natural talent for creativity. Sometimes we can lose sight of why we chose this profession. Sometimes we take jobs purely for the money. Stay inspired and buy this book. You will contribute 58¢ to their beer fund. Thank you karllsonwilker!

This book is definitely worth buying it. I was reading MADE YOU LOOK, and that's the reason I gave this book 4 stars. Dont get me wrong, TELLMEWHY is amazing, creative and HAPPY. I get the impression Hjalti and Jan still haven't made their masterpiece, yet, you can tell that they're on the way to achive that. KARLSSONWILKER offers the kind of the design you say to yourself : I CAN DO THAT WELL EASY, until you get your canvas and realize that is their style and it's not only the massive use of DIN, TRADE GOTHIC or HELVETICA fonts. It's absolutely more than that. 5 Stars for Karlssonwilker inc. 4 stars for their book, and I'm pretty sure I'll give them 6 on the upcoming BOOK.

These guys do some fantastic work and have produced a wonderful book. They should be commended for the effort and so too should the publisher for taking a chance on such a random topic. The text is well written, and the graphics are well done too (of course . . .) I was thinking about David Burns "True Stories" the whole time I read the book - they both have a simple, refined quirky message to tell, but Hjalti and Jan put so much more of themselves into the end result. This book is a refreshing display of work, from a couple of yet-to-be-jaded designers.

Really good design book... an excellent referent if you are going to start your own business...
It's not the best but is really good!!!!

There needs to be more books like this. God knows, how many of us have gone to the store, flipped through these books, and moved onto the next part of the shelf. As a guy who own three years of Computer Arts, another two of Computer Projects, and collected over twenty books on design in the past two years, I think my review will help the curious. It's true there are a lot of photos in the book, however they are pertinent to the story and keep you from moving onto the next book on the shelf. Like the other readers, I have enjoyed reading this crazy story and applaud them for showing all the work and not just highlights. I agree with W.Han's review. It's inspirational. Not in the sense that you'll see something they've done that will inspire your next work but their crazy tale of how they've survived and how you can learn from their mistakes.