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55°
North: Contemporary Scandinavian Graphic Design
—Patrick Sundqvist
Writing reviews for design compilations
is never easy. In most cases they are great, bad or mediocre,
take your pick, which doesn’t leave much for a reviewer
to say without being redundant. In the case of 55° North:
Contemporary Scandinavian Graphic Design, there’s more
to be said. Patrick Sundqvist, editor and designer of this soft-cover
book has done an exceptional job of bringing together a broad
and accurate survey of today’s Scandinavian designers.
In his intro, Patrick brings up the cultural design climate of Scandinavia and the diffusion of their designers at home and abroad.
He touches on technology, education, and the importance of tradition balanced with their growing
European (global?) consciousness. While stating that 55°
North is “A starting point to discover more Scandinavian
design,” it does not intend or pretend to be the complete
story of Scandinavian design, but more of a reflection.
Which brings us to the designers. The book features some of the most visible designers
of the past few years with work by, 24 Hour Intl., Mongrel Associates, Fellow Designers, Karlssonwilker
Inc., Idiocase/Chapter 3, Superlow,
E-Types, K10K and many more, over 50 in total.
The actual design of this collection is clear and to the point.
Patrick’s typography and grid never conflicts with what
is being shown on the page. Print-based work is flawlessly reproduced
and onscreen work makes the transition quite nicely. There are also some very tight pattern
designs to be found in the beginning and end pages, created by Begitte Lynge.
It’s a really great, well thought out collection and very much worth the price.
Laurence King Ltd.
Supershapes
Review by: Jarrett Kertesz | |
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