Brian Roettinger: Reproductions: The Thing Quarterly Issue 25 (A Catalogue Raisonné)

"Shifts our reverent gaze from the finished piece onto the personal nature of the process―mistakes, distortions and all.” –Nara Shin, Cool Hunting

Los Angeles–based artist and two-time Grammy-nominated graphic designer Brian Roettinger is celebrated for the graphic design and art direction he has created for artists, architects and musicians such as No Age, Liars, Beach House and Jay-Z. In 2009, he was chosen as Rolling Stone's Album Designer of the Year. Roettinger's issue for The Thing Quarterly is a massive (412-page) catalogue raisonné that collects, documents and indexes the majority of his design work produced to date. The works, which are reproduced in black and white from photocopies, are not presented chronologically, nor is it clear, upon first inspection, which project is which: an early version is shown, sometimes just a sketch, and in some cases, the final printer proofs. Unlike a traditional monograph, Roettinger's reimagined interpretation is a testament to the process itself, and underscores the poles of his approach, which is both visibly chaotic and meticulously organized.

In contrast to the immaculate artist monographs found in museum shops, Roettinger's "Reproductions" not only reveals his signature disjointed approach to design (intended to jolt us out of our comfortable spaces) but also shifts our reverent gaze from the finished piece onto the personal nature of the process―mistakes, distortions and all. (Nara Shin Cool Hunting)