If design is about the communication of ideas, what is the starting point for their visual expression? designing:, a major new publication by New York-based Chermayeff & Geismar Inc., explores how one of America’s most respected and influential graphic and exhibition design firms thinks about, and solves, visual problems. Written by Ivan Chermayeff, Tom Geismar and Steff Geissbuhler, the 352-page, full-color book is published by Graphis Inc. Organized into 20 thematic sections, the book draws from over 40 years of work to reveal the full significance of the firm’s consistent approach to the creative process—letting the problem guide a solution—across a remarkable diversity and depth of projects for corporations, institutions and consumer brands.
Unlike most monographs, designing: is neither a showcase of finished projects, nor a chronology of accomplishments. Rather, it demonstrates the endless possibilities for invention at the designer’s disposal while adhering to what many consider the quintessential definition of good design: the visual expression of an idea. From employing nature as a source of inspiration to playing with scale, metaphor and meaning to demystifying abstract concepts, designing: shows how an immersive response to understanding the challenge presented by a client results in an authentic, appropriate, memorable solution that endures over time.
designing: was compiled by the firm in a manner that exemplifies their immersive approach. The principals went back to the firm’s early days and sifted through the archives, selecting aesthetically resonant work that, while often produced at different times for different clients, echoes the same core concept. For example, on one page an array of embossed fish on the menu cover of The Sea Grill, and a German poster composed of different collectible items designed to encourage people to save money are equally at home. Likewise, by placing the indelible red "O" of the Mobil logo in the same chapter as the identity for the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles (MOCA) composed of basic geometric forms, similarities between these two identities are revealed. By further electing not to include any project completion dates, these connections are reinforced.
designing: also helps explain how Chermayeff & Geismar has remained enviably free of categorization, or stylistic labels. To underscore this point, work is presented without attribution to a specific designer or team responsible for its creation.
The book opens with an introduction by John Hockenberry, a two-time Peabody Award-winner and Dateline NBC correspondent. It concludes with a timeline that places the firm’s evolution and work within the larger context of design history during the second half of the 20th century. Throughout, the text is clear, concise and of particular relevance to students and young designers who are seeking models for how to develop a set of visual strategies that will allow them to approach a range of different projects without jeopardizing their creative integrity.
