Small Talk No.5: Steven Heller
| March 02, 2007

Last week I went to a lecture of Steven Heller (AIGA Small Talk series). He began with expressing the significance of the Wolfsonian musuem (one of the top design treasures, and possibly the most worthwhile attractions in Miami). I agree with him that anyone that has a chance to visit should, especially after the remodeling with the cozy cafe.

Heller was invited to be a Fellow at the museum and spent a couple of weeks digging through the archives of books and ephemera. While on a break from the New York Times Book Review, he is researching and writing content for his upcoming book from Phaidon Press, Iron Fists . The book will serve as an indepth analysis of past totalitarian regimes and their impact in shaping the culture of branding. It was awkward but very interesting to see how Mussolini, Hitler, Mao and Lenin made their mark within corporate design history.

I think this book is due out in about a year. But I'm still waiting on Steven Heller's biography on Alvin Lustig. I was hoping for some hints about this during the talk.

Steven Heller's newest title, with the help of Mirko Ilic, is The Anatomy of Design. The book is comprised of 50 graphic design selections which are then broken down into the details behind what may have inspired the final piece. I thought the best part of the book was the gate-fold pages that pull out to reveal a fascinating timeline as background to each of the 50 designs.

Link:  New Steven Heller and Mirko Illic book

Tags:  aiga, mirko illic, propaganda, steven heller, wolfsonian