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Stefan Sagmeister

dialogue / Steven Heller in conversation
stefan sagmeister
designer on sabbatical
Sagmeister Inc.’s Experimental
As part
Outcamp is located in Bali, Indonesia,
of a series
of type
far from Stefan Sagmeister’s head­
treatments,
Sagmeister
quarters on “wonderful West 14th
created
Street” in New York City. For the sec­
the letter s
floating on
ond time, Sagmeister is scratching the
water, using
proverbial “seven­year itch” by drop­
flowers that
fell from
ping out for an entire year, leaving
the tree in
clients behind, to refresh and renew
front of his
studio.
himself as a designer and artist.
Sagmeister began his first client­free
year in 2001, when he was 38, and he is
now beginning his second at 46. He
says he has only two more sabbaticals
to go before his retirement age of 65
and argues that it is much more useful
to take those years early, interspersed
throughout his working life, rather
Heller: This is your second in a seven-year
his time put aside for experimentation,
than pin them to the end of it. In fact,
cycle of “sabbaticals”; what gave you the
compared with my paltry 12.5 percent.
after it became clear that the ideas he
idea to make this a regular part of your
If this second year turns out to be as enjoy-
developed during his first sabbatical
life? sagmeister: My desire for the initial
able and influential for the subsequent
subsequently inspired his most success­
experimental year had many reasons,
work as the first one, I might increase
ful design projects, he became con­
among them my experience that I often
the percentage considerably. Heller: Did
vinced that he needed to make a respite did the best thinking in time periods
anything else specifically trigger this?
integral to his creative regimen. How
without pressure. After my studies, I had
sagmeister: When the 60-year-old Ed
many of us dream of doing the same?
moved from city to city every two years,
Fella visited our studio in New York and
Sagmeister has certainly become a
so this kind of thinking was often done in
brought a number of his fantastic four-
model for those who can consider such
between jobs and places. After running
color ballpoint typographic experiments,
a radical leap; for the rest of us, we’ll
the studio in New York City for seven years,
I was completely blown away. He self-
live vicariously. It was in this spirit that I had no intent to move again, so this year
mockingly called it “exit art”—art he does
I caught up with him via e­mail to find
allowed for time to explore. Ferran Adrià,
before he dies. I was in love with the sheer
out how, a few months into this adven­
who is now considered by many to be the
inventiveness and quality of the work and
ture, his expectations are meeting
best chef in the world, closes his restaurant at the same time felt that it would have
reality; what inspired him to select Bali; north of Barcelona for six months every
had a bigger impact on a working life if
and what he misses, if anything, now
year—while keeping a full kitchen staff—
interspersed regularly throughout one’s
that he’s so far away.
in order to experiment. That’s half of
life. Heller: How easy is it to put your
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dialogue
client-driven work on hiatus for an entire
The view
from Sag-
year? sagmeister: I had all sorts of fears
meister’s
before the first year—that we will lose all
Bali studio.
He observes,
our clients, that we will be forgotten, that
“If I can’t
we’ll have to start from scratch. As none
make it
here, I can’t
of these fears became true the first time
make it
around, I started this second one with few
anywhere.”
worries. For me, it was simply a matter
of proper time planning. I just put it into
the plan agenda, worked out the finances,
and told the clients. Heller: What appealed
to you about Bali for your year away?
sagmeister: I had spent the first sabbatical
in New York City because the idea of doing
this was as big a bite as I could take at
the time. As I wanted the second year to
be different, my initial thought was not
New York. I know the U.S. and Europe too
well to generate much excitement—I
couldn’t see myself in Arizona for a year—
and don’t know South America and Africa
There is lots of good design work being
helps a lot that Joe Shouldice is in the
well enough. So Asia it was. I had worked
done today. I think of Ji Lee, or Rick
studio in New York City, keeping a low
in Hong Kong for two years and know
Valicenti, or Marian Bantjes, or Maira
profile while finishing up some jobs
it a bit—and the two most beautiful land-
Kalman, and many more. It is true,
and being there to answer questions.
scapes I had seen in Asia were Sri Lanka
though, that most people I really admire
Richard The and Joe just installed a new
and Bali. As Sri Lanka still has a low-level
have experimentation institutionalized
maxim in Amsterdam, “Obsessions Make
civil war going on, my decision fell on
into their practice. Heller: In your own
My Life Worse and My Work Better.” It
Bali. Aside from the possibility of living in
work you play with various forms—there
consisted of 250,000 Eurocents carefully
the jungle and at the same time being five
is never a single stylistic underpinning.
and painstainkingly laid out with the
minutes away from a small town that
Do you foresee a new aesthetic emerging
help of many, many volunteers in a public
would not only have good restaurants but
from your travels? sagmeister: Today I
space in Amsterdam. [Editor’s note: The
also sell printer cartridges, it was the in-
badly copied a page from an 18th-century
coins were removed by Dutch police, who
credible craft culture that attracted me.
Turkish Koran I had seen in the Museum
worried about theft.] Other than that,
There are entire villages of woodcarvers,
of International Muslim Art in Kuala
we shifted all possible new sentence instal-
stonemasons, wig makers, textile weavers,
Lumpur. I truly hope this has an influence
lations to September 2009. Heller: But
and silversmiths close by. Heller: Is there
on my aesthetics, as typography rarely
what have you actually learned so far?
anything you regret about leaving for a
reached a pinnacle of such absolute and
sagmeister: When attacked by hollow-
year? sagmeister: The Obama campaign
total gorgeousness as it did in 15th- to
eyed Balinese dogs, I can make them
asked me to design a poster, and I was
18th-century Islamic culture, which didn’t
scatter by pretending to pick up a stone.
really sorry to not be able to oblige. It was
allow pictorial imagery. All the creative
Heller: So, are you happy? sagmeister:
just before my sabbatical started, and I
desires had to go into type and ornamen-
As I am very aware how boring it is to hear
had sworn to myself that I would not take
tation. Heller: You are connected, albeit
about other people being happy, I say
anything on, no matter how tempting.
intermittently, to the rest of the world.
only this: I get up every morning at 5 a.m.
And anyway, I am very aware that the tiny
How do you determine who and what to let simply because it’s more exciting to start
influence my little poster might have had
through the doors during this year? Are
working than to turn around and sleep
would be only on the converted. Heller: I
there any demanding clients who must talk some more. I do seem to have a lot of energy.
can’t help but presume part of your retreat
to you now? sagmeister: No. All clients
After enjoying a giant pot of coffee and a
is a critique of contemporary practice. Do
were warned as much as two years in ad-
medium-sized cigar for breakfast, I start
you believe that the contemporary design
vance, and most were envious. So far, they
my daily schedule of little experiments.
language is vital or stagnant? sagmeister:
are all very respectful. And of course it
This is coming along very well.

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