Thursday, 12:00am
10 September 2009
Studio Culture
Just when you thought there was nothing new in design publishing …
Just when you thought there was nothing new in graphic design publishing, along comes Studio Culture, an entertaining look at the way studios work, from premises, location and furniture to rent reviews and partnership agreements.
In candid Q&A sessions, 28 studios including APFEL, Universal Everything and Doyle Partners reveal how they deal with cashflow, clients and birthday cakes. Erik Spiekermann explains his idea of the perfect studio (the ‘Rundbuero’) while Experimental Jetset cite the rock band as their model, the ‘perfect socio-economical unit’. [Ha! Ed.]
Designed by Spin’s Ian Macfarlane, the book’s gridded, catalogue-like text pages are set in monospaced Optimo Hermes and punctuated by photographs of studio interiors and work by each practice. The result is a helpful guide for any designer with ambitions to start a business.
There’s something else new about it. Published on 14 September (£24.95), it’s the first from Unit Editions, the imprint founded by its editors, Spin principal Tony Brook and Adrian Shaughnessy. AR