The Debate: The Legendary Contest of Two Giants of Graphic Design
Crouwel, Wim; van Toorn, Jan; Poynor, Rick [Foreword]; Huygen, Frederike [Contributor];
Language: English
Published by The Monacelli Press, 2015
- First Edition
- Hardcover
- Used
Seller: Coffee Cat Books, Chapel Hill, NC, U.S.A.Coffee Cat Books
AbeBooks seller since September 15, 2021
Condition: Used - Near fine
US$ 137.78
Quantity: 1 available
Add to basketItem description from seller
Lovely copy, Near Fine. First US Edition, First Print thus. The Monacelli Press, [New York], 2015. Small format hardcover, 6 x 4 in. Unmarked. Orange decorative cloth covered boards, no jacket as issued. 174p. Illustrated. Light edge wear. Photos of item you will receive. Ships quickly and with care. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ SYNOPSIS & HISTORY: The first English translation of a famous 1972 debate between Dutch graphic designers Wim Crouwel and Jan van Toorn, a public clash of subjectivity versus objectivity at Amsterdam's Museum Fodor that helped set the stage for bold philosophical showdowns to come in design culture. Held in response to an exhibition of Van Toorn's work at Stedelijk Museum, including student posters protesting the Vietnam War in an era of youth culture and increasing resistance to authority, capitalism, and the power of media the stakes were aesthetic, ethical, and politically charged. Crouwel defended his approach of neutrality and austere rationalism, attention to typography and worksmanship, and professionalism in service of the client's message. Van Toorn argued for his use of chaos, collage, and photographs of everyday life; that a designer's ideas, personality, and political commitments are integral to the work. Dialogue on The Debate has reverberated in graphic design circles for the four decades since, and it is often referenced in modern design criticism as a key marker for the philosophical positions that continue to define the profession. The first English transcript of this key event in design history will allow a contemporary audience to discover the ongoing relevance of The Debate in an increasingly complex visual culture. Along with the transcript, this pocket-sized clothbound book contains a foreword by prominent design critic Rick Poynor, and essays from Dutch design historian Frederike Huygen, who discusses the historical context of the debate, and curator Dingenus van de Vrie, who looks more closely at these two giants' different perspectives on graphic design. A color gallery juxtaposes a representative selection from the oeuvres of Crouwel and Van Toorn, including exhibition designs, calendars, posters, brochures, artist book designs, postal stamps, and fascinating works such as the script of a 1969 stage production based on a story by Jorge Luis Borges, sealed in a tin can, and a many-gatefolded catalog for Ed Ruscha's 'Dutch Details' at Groninger Museum.…
Seller Inventory # C1626LNhi121521a9
- Title
- The Debate: The Legendary Contest of Two Giants of Graphic Design
- Author
- Crouwel, Wim; van Toorn, Jan; Poynor, Rick [Foreword]; Huygen, Frederike [Contributor];
- Publisher
- The Monacelli Press
- Publication year
- 2015
- Condition
- NEAR FINE
- Binding
- Hardcover
- Language
- English
- ISBN 10
- 1580934129
- ISBN 13
- 9781580934121
- Edition
- First Edition.
- Printing
- 1st printing
- Item weight
- 35 ounces
- Dimensions
- 6x4
- Seller catalogs
- Art History, Culture, Design
"Synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
About the Author
Jan van Toorn (b. 1932) is one of the most significant and influential Dutch graphic designers of our time. Confrontational and idiosyncratic, he led the dissent against the ‘objective’ approach of design that dominated modernism, paving the way for the more critical, political and playful potential of postmodernism. He has taught graphic design and visual communication in The Netherlands and internationally, at institutions including Gerrit Rietveld Academie, the Department of Architecture at Eindhoven Technical University, and Rhode Island School of Design. From 1991 until 1998 he was director of the Jan van Eyck Academie in Maastricht. He was the first recipient of the Piet Zwart prize in 1985, and received Doctor Honoris Causa from the Royal College of Art in 2011. Van Toorn lives and works in Amsterdam.
Rick Poynor is a British writer, lecturer, and curator, specializing in design, photography, and visual culture. He was the founding editor of Eye magazine and cofounder of Design Observer. His articles, essays and reviews have appeared in numerous international publications, including I.D., Metropolis, Harvard Design Magazine, Adbusters, Blueprint, Icon, Frieze, The Guardian, and the Financial Times.
Frederike Huygen is the former curator of industrial design at the Boijmans Van Beuningen Museum, Rotterdam, the coauthor of the monograph Wim Crouwel: mode en module (1997), and author of two anthologies about Dutch design entitled Visies op vormgeving (2007, 2008).
Dingenus van de Vrie is assistant curator of the print collection at the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen. He has written extensively about Dutch graphic designers, including Jac. Jongert, Jurriaan Schrofer, and Benno Wissing.
"About the title" may belong to another edition of this title.
Coffee Cat Books
Chapel Hill, NC, U.S.A.
AbeBooks seller since September 15, 2021
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