Issue 354 - Digital Version

November-December 2004 Cover Image: Vladan Srdic Issue 354 of Graphis magazine includes the following articles: Opinion: Reduction, written by Lewis Blackwell; Q&A Leslie Smolan and Ken Carbone; Tyer Brule: Rebranding Branding, by Laren Goldstein Crowe; Jean-Baptiste Mondino: Without Retouches, by Corinne Brivot; Chris Ware: Coloring Inside the Lines, by Ken Coupland; GREY Beijing: China is the World's Best Playground, by Nicole Hess; Sobek House: 360˚ Transparency, by Jennifer Abramsohn; Vadan Srdic: Controllable Accidents, by Lazar Dzamic; Crate & Barrel: Gordon Segal Nails It, by Chris Barnett; Karen Blincoe: A Design Revolution, by Berit Andersen; Book Reviews by Jane Harris; and Book Design Review: The Phaidon Atlas of Contemporary World Architecture, reviewed by Michael Webb. CONTENTS 7 Contributors 10 Opinion: Reduction by Lewis Blackwell 12 Q&A Leslie Smolan and Ken Carbone 16 Tyer Brule: Rebranding Branding By Laren Goldstein Crowe With the solid reputation of a "New Modern," trend-setting globetrotter, Tyler Brule aims to do for marketing what he did for magazines. After having redefined lifestyle publishing with Wallpaper, Brule is now redefining the ad agency with Winkreative. A veritable cauldron of idea across a huge range of subject, from urban architecture and travel to design and restaurants, Brule is rebranding branding. 34 Jean-Baptiste Mondino: Without Retouches By Corinne Brivot Humorous, sexy, and beautiful while questioning the canon of beauty, Jean-Baptiste Mondino's photographs are part of a carnival where all is possible. The photographer as jester transgresses the codes of a visual culture suffering from a shortage of poetry. Mondino is "glad to be of service," while wondering how to slow down in a schizophrenic society of over-production. 60 Chris Ware: Coloring Inside the Lines By Ken Coupland In what some consider the most labor-intensive of the arts, illustrator Chris War is preternaturally prolific. His well-nigh unfathomable ability to orchestrate subtleties of design, type, palette and execution in a single grandly sustained performance have gathered fans from a variety of disciplines. Raising the state of the art even as he presents a gruesomely existential state of affairs, Chris Ware stands modestly poised for his next endeavor. 72 GREY Beijing: China is the World's Best Playground By Nicole Hess Until recently, advertising n China was focused on the practical. Now the wallets of China's burgeoning middle class are thickening and consumer choice is expanding. Enter Michael Wong. Hired to play with the existing language of the Beijing advertising world, he is eliciting a more emotional reaction from consumers with successful ads that are grounded in traditional references. 90 Sobek House: 360˚ Transparency By Jennifer Abramsohn Perched high on a very steep, wooded hillside of Stuttgart, R128 offers a few new perspectives. The 360-degree views are the brainchild of engineer and professor Werner Sobek, which reflect the global view of its design. Emission-free, solar-powered, and fully recyclable, R128 is a lesson in efficiency, simplicity, and even nature appreciation. 98 Vadan Srdic: Controllable Accidents By Lazar Dzamic With a Slovenian passport in a his pocket, Serbian Vladan Srdic is in a unique position to assess the similarities and differences between two Balkan design powerhouses, while forging a unique style typified by bold graphics and arresting imagery. Acclimated to making art in a turbulent time, Srdic seizes every tiny moment to drive the point home. 114 Crate & Barrel: Gordon Segal Nails It By Chris Barnett From its bootstrapped startup beginning, Crate & Barrel has come to be hailed as the most successful design-driven houseware retailer. Thanks to a trailblazing product selection, massive merchandising strategies, and an obsession with detail, Gordon Segal—with the help of design director Alessandro Franchini, among other faithful employees—continues to grow while staying consistent since "beautiful work is only done slowly and carefully." 136 Karen Blincoe: A Design Revolution By Berit Andersen Karen Blincoe is the founder and director of the International Center for Creativity, Innovation and Sustainability (ICIS). On her Danish organic farm, she is building a center for graphic designers, architects and other creatives to discuss and implement the latest trends and methods of sustainable design. Passionate and enlightened, Blincoe discusses with Graphis the creative and economic profits of sustainability. 145 Book Reviews By Jane Harris Excess: Fashion and the Underground in the '80s. You Are Here: Personal Geographies and Other Maps of the Imagination. 146 Book Design Review: The Phaidon Atlas of Contemporary World Architecture Reviewed by Michael Webb