Stefan Sagmeister

Stefen Sagmeister has a very unique approach to designing in that they are mostly very organic and sensual in nature. The fact that Sagmeister himself says, "I would say we are probably best known for our hand-made quality," is characteristic of this approach. This can also be seen in the organic approach he takes to laying out letter forms, which are primarily handwritten, and in the found imagery that he uses in his works. According to designmuseum.org he is extremely good in conceptualizing new ideas for solving design problems. His concepts are brutally relevant and straight forward, which can be seen in designs like this.

The AIGA poster he did is a perfect representation of his style and ability to conceptualize. The handmade, grungy quality comes through in the aesthetic that was achieved through carving on his own flesh with an xacto knife; while the concept of him being the subject of a poster that promotes himself is brilliant, as it allows for an immediate emotional connection to the viewer that signals Sagmeister's authenticity to them. His conceptualization is based upon aspects of sexuality and humor, which comes through in this design, as well as in others, and in some cases makes his designs almost inappropriate.

This testing of boundaries of appropriateness is exemplified well in his call for entries, which he did for the 1992 4As advertising awards. It was considered offensive and controversial and offensive by many, but was only so because it featured a four men bearing their asses, a traditional Cantonese image. This clearly demonstrates the humor with which he approaches design.

Another work that shows the diversity of his influences is the cover for Rolling Stones' album Bridges to Babylon. He was inspired by an Assyrian lion sculpture, which would have been symbolic of the concept behind the album as well as a symbol of Mick Jager's astrological sign. Once again his brilliant ability to conceptualize in a way that was impeccable can be seen. The cover design also features organic elements which look hand drawn to offset an almost photographic-like image of the lion.

From looking at many of Sagmeister's works, I have noticed that he draws inspiration from just about anything to keep his style non-existent, aside from having a hand-made quality. "Different influences are always helpful. Most designers I like, have big interests in other fields such as John Maida and his programming abilities, Tibor Kalmann and his political background in the student movement, Storm Thorgeson and his photo montage wizardry; they all stayed away from the typical influence of design annuals."(scene360.com) He uses the inspiration from these other innovative designers to keep his designs fresh and unique.

The only designers that I could find that were directly influenced by him are the designers who worked for him and formed Karlssonwilker. Their designs seem to be tamed reincarnations of his wild concepts, since they are all conceptually apt, but have evolved to have a more modern and refined look. However, it is evident that they have adopted his approach to style, as they seem to have no distinct style of their own either.