London-based Graphic Thought Facility (GTF) has emerged as one of today’s most progressive and versatile design firms. Established in 1990, it has a reputation for a non-conformist approach to graphic design. The firm's originality results from its combination of a handmade aesthetic, knowledge of digital technology, and an interest in new materials and production methods.
This handsomely designed and produced catalogue includes photographs and essays that highlight GTF’s most notable projects and commissions, which range from graphic identity to marketing materials to exhibition and catalogue design. Whether providing innovative design materials for the Institute of Contemporary Arts, London,Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, the Tate Museum, the furniture and interior design store Habitat, or designers such as Ron Arad and Tord Boontje, GTF encourages us to appreciate the visual richness of the world around us.

Graphic Thought Facility (A+D Series)

Arts & Photography

Ryan, Zoë

Collections, Catalogs & Exhibitions

Art Institute of Chicago

The hip, functional, and versatile furniture and products of Konstantin Grcic―widely recognized as one of the most important designers working today―are transforming the landscape of contemporary design. This book accompanies the first exhibition in North America of Grcic’s work, highlighting the innovative archetypes of form and concept that have marked his remarkable output since 2004.
Grcic delights in creating fresh takes on familiar industrial objects, whether desks, chairs, benches, stools, a range of kitchen equipment, lamps, a set of salad servers, or Krups coffee makers. In his recent work, he has blended his characteristic simplicity and distinctiveness with the use of new technologies and materials―for example, a cantilevered stacking chair, Myto (2008), is made from a strong, fluid plastic typically used by the automotive industry.

Konstantin Grcic: Decisive Design (A+D Series)

Individual Artists

Modern architecture and design were long viewed as separate disciplines, until practitioners in the mid-20th century began crossing boundaries and rethinking form and function. This fluid exchange of ideas has led to innovative solutions addressing issues at the heart of contemporary life, ones that impact the environment, sustainability, technology, politics, personal well-being, and health and safety.
This handsome catalogue highlights important recent developments that have resulted from the intersection of architecture and design. The projects examined in this book have been produced by an international array of individuals and studios including Jurgen Mayer H., Greg Lynn, Simon Heijdens, M/M (Paris), and Matali Crasset. Whether tackling new solutions to traditional spatial practices, suggesting inventive responses to current environmental concerns, or dealing with issues that address the collective well-being of society, the practitioners who are included in this volume are at the forefront of a cutting-edge field.

Hyperlinks: Architecture and Design

Rosa, Joseph

The newest volume in the Art Institute of Chicago's successful A+D series, Fashioning the Object invites readers to visit three of the most visionary design studios at work today: Bless, Boudicca, and Sandra Backlund. Fiercely independent and far-reaching in their influences, these young designers from Berlin, London, Paris, and Stockholm are producing fashion objects that straddle the line between traditional craft and cutting-edge technique, both in their use of materials and in the promotion of their brands.
Zoë Ryan establishes the context for understanding the exciting departures these design houses represent, as the young creators draw inspiration from an array of other disciplines, including architecture, performance, film, and fine art. From Bless's numbered editions, to Boudicca's graffiti-can perfume, to Backlund's ready-to-wear pieces of knitted copper, these designers adapt storied objects to new uses and break old conventions, promulgating their ideas in playful, groundbreaking ways.

Fashioning the Object: Bless, Boudicca, and Sandra Backlund (A+D Series)

A fascinating exploration of Max Lamb's experimentation with materials, craft, and technology One of the most exciting designers working today, Max Lamb (b. 1980) has received international acclaim for his innovative experiments with materials, craft, and technology. Drawn to the form of the chair and its relationship to the human body, Lamb has explored many different inventive outcomes in his ever-evolving Exercises in Seating project. This book investigates over a decade of creative practice with a focus on his interest in seating—from stone thrones to wood chairs and enameled-steel stools. In Lamb’s own words, “A seat is very simple in function, but very complex in the many different characters, forms, and ideas it can express.” Both retrospective and forward looking, this volume—created in collaboration with the artist—is the most thorough investigation of Lamb’s work to date and features an exclusive interview with noted artist Ryan Gander in which the designer discusses his creative processes and goals.

Max Lamb: Exercises in Seating

The first monograph on the work of Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby, two of the most innovative industrial designers from Britain. The firm headed by Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby has won numerous awards since its founding in 1996. Distinguished by clean, modern lines, BarberOsgerby engages in furniture and product design, as well as consumer electronics, architecture, and interiors, making their mark with technical craftsmanship, formal vigor, and inspired use of color. BarberOsgerby’s work includes iconic designs like the best-selling Tab Lamp (2008), and is part of permanent museum collections worldwide. Their portfolio ranges widely from accessible work to custom one-off pieces, including pews for a cathedral, hangers for Levi’s, and the brilliantly hued Iris Tables. Their work has been produced by manufacturers and clients such as Cappellini, Swarovski, Stella McCartney, and Coca-Cola. Featuring sketches, concept renderings, and compelling photographs, the book is organized thematically with an emphasis on materials and process, tracing the inspirations and working method of this unique design duo.

The Design Work of Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby

SUDJIC, DEYAN

Barber, Edward

Osgerby, Jay

Decorative Arts & Design

Rizzoli

An innovatively designed monograph on the work of Matali Crasset, one of France’s leading product designers. A darling of French industrial design, Matali Crasset has earned critical praise internationally with her unique spaces and products. Ranging from simple, ergonomic kitchen utensils to architecture, her work engages its end users by asking questions on the role design plays in their everyday lives. Crasset was awarded International Interior Designer of the Year at the British Interior Design Awards in 2004, received the Grand Prize for Design from the city of Paris in 1997, and was a previous recipient of the Premier Prix de Concours Louis Vuitton. Her work includes products and interventions for Philippe Starck (whom she worked with for five years), Established and Sons, Hermès, Swarovski, Authentics, Domeau & Pérès, Alessi, Meta/Mallet, Artemide, and others. She has also engaged in architecture in the round, including hotels in Nice and Tunisia. Raised in a small village in the north of France, where work and life were intimately bound, the designer’s formative experiences clearly inform her view on contemporary design. The uncluttered rhythms of life in the country are reflected in the simple—but often colorful—forms that have earned Crasset a name for herself in the realms of product design, interiors, architecture, and art installations. Lavishly depicted with more than three hundred sketches, concept renderings, and photographs in a unique and brightly hued book format, the projects are organized thematically, with a special emphasis on materials and process.

Matali Crasset: Works

Midal, Alexandra

Crasset, Matali

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