Throughout this semester, we've been given a look at four particular designers: Marian Bantjes, Bruce Mau, Stefan Bucher and Stefan Sagmeister. What these four have in common is their willingness to put their own personality in their work. Of these four, Bantjes and Sagmeister in particular have developed styles for which they are known and that have spawned numerous imitators. While Bruce Mau and Stefan Bucher are unique in their own right, their work is much more solution oriented. When you hire Marian Bantjes to do a book cover, nine times out of ten you will get a gorgeous, intricately lettered & patterned cover. With Bucher and Mau, the outcome might be different.
What's also interesting is that again, the four break of into pairs: one of Toronto designers, the other of ex-pat Germans.
Thinking about these designers, I feel the need to make an addedum to my design theory. While I talked about the importance of solution-based, pragmatic thinking in design, that does not preclude the chance of infusing own's personal tastes into their work.
Which is to say, though Bruce Mau and Stefan Sagmeister both approach projects and make decisions based on personal beliefs and preferences, they scrutinize those decisions and justify them using the same thought process: "Does this best suit the needs of my client, their audience and the project itself?"
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