How Does Stefan Sagmeister Design with Slogans?

TL;DR

Stefan Sagmeister designs with slogans by turning lessons from his diary into commissioned graphic design projects in public spaces. His work includes inflatable monkeys across Scotland, 65,000 coat hangers on a fashion-store street, steamed windows in New York, a wrapped casino building in Linz, and a billboard designed to fade in sunlight. Read on to discover how each medium reinforces its message.

Transcript

I was here about four years ago, talking about the relationship of design and happiness. At the very end of it, I showed a list under that title. I learned very few things in addition since (Laughter) -- but made a whole number of them into projects since. These are inflatable monkeys in every city in Scotland: "Everybody always thinks they are rig... Read More

Key Insights

• 🎨 Design and Happiness: The speaker has previously discussed the relationship between design and happiness, and has since turned his insights into various projects, such as inflatable monkeys and interactive projections. These projects are commissioned by clients and often involve graphic design elements.
• 💡 Changing Media: The speaker mentions the changing media landscape, indicating that they are adapting their work to suit new platforms and technologies. They mention a video filmed in Singapore for display on JumboTrons, showing a willingness to embrace different types of media.
• 💰 Money and Happiness: The speaker explores the concept of money and its relationship to happiness. They mention a project involving the phrase "Money does not make me happy" displayed on a building, highlighting their perspective on the subject.
• 📜 Learning and Reflection: The speaker reveals that the sentiments they portray in their projects are derived from their personal diary. They frequently review their diary entries and make changes in response to what they see, suggesting a commitment to personal growth and self-reflection.
• 🏙️ Public Installations: Several of the projects mentioned involve large-scale installations in public spaces. These installations include 65,000 coat hangers lining a street with fashion stores and steam-inscribed phrases on New York windows, indicating a focus on creating impactful experiences in urban environments.
• 📑 Media Mistakes: The speaker shares an instance where their work was affected by a printing error, resulting in a change in the intended message. This highlights the unpredictable nature of working with media and the need for adaptability.
• ⛅️ Sun and Fading: The speaker describes a billboard project that involved manipulating newsprint with stencils and leaves. Over time, the sun caused the billboard's message to fade, ultimately eradicating any complaints. This emphasizes the transitory nature of messages and the potential for change.
• 🌎 Global Reach: The speaker's work has reached various locations, including Scotland, Linz (Austria), New York, and Singapore. This indicates a global perspective and a desire to share their insights and projects with diverse audiences worldwide.

Questions & Answers

Q: How does Stefan Sagmeister design with slogans?

Stefan Sagmeister turns sentiments from his diary into commissioned graphic design projects. He presents the slogans through media such as inflatable figures, projections, coat hangers, magazine spreads, steamed windows, building wraps, JumboTrons, and billboards.

Q: What message did the inflatable monkeys in Scotland communicate?

The inflatable monkeys appeared in every city in Scotland with the slogan, "Everybody always thinks they are right." The project used a repeated public installation to present that diary-derived sentiment.

Q: How did the interactive spider-web projection work?

The projection could see viewers as they walked by. Their movement made it appear that they were ripping the spider web apart, turning the viewer into an active part of the graphic design.

Q: Why are clients attached to Stefan Sagmeister's installations?

The projects are commissioned for clients because Sagmeister says he could not personally pay for the installations, billboards, or production. Client funding enables these graphic design pieces to be produced.

Q: What did the 65,000 coat hangers installation say?

The installation used 65,000 coat hangers on a street lined with fashion stores. It communicated the slogan, "Worrying solves nothing."

Q: How did a printing mistake lead to the casino building wrap in Linz?

A printer lost the file for the magazine spreads and produced 12 following pages that read, "Money does does make me happy." A friend in Austria then persuaded the largest casino owner in Linz to let them wrap his building with the intended message, "Money does not make me happy."

Q: What happened during the steamed-window show in New York?

The windows were permanently steamed up, and every hour a different designer wrote something they had learned into the steam. Participants included Milton Glaser and Massimo Vignelli.

Q: How did the fading billboard communicate "Complaining is silly. Either act or forget"?

Newsprint was covered with stencils and leaves, then left in the sun before being shipped to Lisbon. On day one the billboard displayed the full slogan, three days later it had faded, and a week later the message was gone.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Definition: Sagmeister's slogan projects turn sentiments from his diary into commissioned pieces of graphic design.

• Who: Stefan Sagmeister creates the projects for clients who fund their installations, billboards, and production.

• Tool: Inflatable monkeys across Scotland carried the message, "Everybody always thinks they are right."

• Tool: A viewer-responsive projection made passersby appear to rip a spider web apart.

• Number: 65,000 coat hangers on a fashion-store street communicated, "Worrying solves nothing."

• Number: A printing error produced 12 following pages reading, "Money does does make me happy."

• Who: A friend persuaded the largest casino owner in Linz to allow the building wrap.

• Who: Milton Glaser and Massimo Vignelli participated in the New York steamed-window show.

• Tool: A filmed spot was prepared for display on large JumboTrons in Singapore.

• Step 1: Newsprint was covered with stencils and leaves and left in the sun.

• When: On day one the Lisbon billboard said, "Complaining is silly. Either act or forget."

• When: Three days later the billboard faded, and a week later the message had disappeared.