The Lessons of a Cartoonist’s Crusade Against McCarthyism
April 25, 2013
Steven Heller covers the new documentary Herblock: The Black & White which premiered at the 2013 Tribeca Film Festival, shows how one editorial caricaturist’s ideals persisted over the decades—and still matter today.
Gonwards: A Reminder of How Elaborate and Playful Album Art Can Be
April 18, 2013
In a post for the Atlantic, Steven Heller presents a review of Gonwards, a new CD box set of songs by American expat Peter Blegvad and Britain's Andy Partridge, mends the marriage between graphic design and recorded music that the MP3 has torn asunder. Designed by Andrew Swainson of London’s Cactus, this gem of a package is a pitch-perfect reinterpretation of a rare, typographically ambitious, 1930 Russian Constructivist book cover composed by avant gardist Solomon Telingater.
Steven Heller at Design Indaba 2013
April 15, 2013
At Design Indaba Conference 2013, Steven Heller spoke about his addiction to visual design and how it became a calling.
Life of a Logo
April 8, 2013
For the 60th Anniversary of TV Guide, the publication revealed a new logo design. Elizabeth Wagmeister asked Steven Heller to comment in an interview on the history of the logo and its evolution.
The Colorful, Subversive History of Women Getting Tattoos
April 4, 2013
A recently reissued book, Bodies of Subversion: A Secret History of Women and the Tattoo by Margot Mifflin (powerHouse Books) traces how body art went from forbidden to trendy. Steven Heller gives a brief review in a post for the Atlantic.
Stop Talking About “Fake News,” Says Fake-News Pioneer
March 21, 2013
Steven Heller looks at Comedy vet Tony Hendra’s latest venture, The Final Edition, like its competitor The Onion, parodies newsgatherers and world events to make very-real points. Check out the post on The Atlantic.
Dumpster Diving For Art
March 28, 2013
At the American Academy in Rome, filmmaker, Nick Heller, followed Visiting Artist, Ann Weber on her daily rounds, scavenging cardboard boxes out of dumpsters, collecting ideas from architectural details and Bernini sculptures and creating sculpture in her studio.
A Double Dose of Evil
March 26, 2013
Last week, Florida International University Professor Kenneth Johnson and Steve Heller delivered lectures to FIU students and faculty using images in their presentations derived in large part from the “dark side” of the Wolfsonian museum’s propaganda holdings.
The Guy Who Leaves Modern Trash at Roman Ruins
March 21, 2013
Leonid Tsvetkov grabs recyclable materials out of dumpsters and trash bins—plastic bottles, Styrofoam take-out packages, cardboard egg cartoons, soda cans and more—puts them in concrete casts, and then leaves them on and around ancient Roman monuments, carvings, and inscriptions. Steven Heller talks with the artist in a post for the Atlantic.
“We’re Probably the Least Food-Filled Food Magazine Out There”
March 14, 2013
Steven Heller takes a look at Swallow, a new food publication that aims to be part gastronomical periodical, part coffee-table book, part passport, and part dinner-party argument starter. In a post for the Atlantic, Steve talks to James Casey, publisher, editor and designer of the magazine.
Shahnameh, Re-Imagined: A Colorful New Vision of Old Iranian Folklore
March 7, 2013
In a post for the Atlantic, Steven Heller takes a look at filmmaker Hamid Rahmanian’s forthcoming illustrated tome The Odyssey, Nibelungenlied, and Ramayana that brings new, vivid life to the epic tales of the ancient Persian kings.
All About Graphic Design: Steven Heller and Louise Fili
March 6, 2013
On Friday, March 22, 2013, Steven Heller and Louise Fili—talk about their latest books in a AIGA Lecture at the Wolfsonian-FIU. Visit the Wolfsonian site to learn more about the lecture.
Just How Bitter, Petty, and Tragic Was Comic-Strip Genius Al Capp?
February 28, 2013
Michael Schumacher and underground comics pioneer Denis Kitchen have authored a new biography Al Capp: A Life to the Contrary. Writing this definitive biography of the “Li'l Abner” creator meant coming face to face with just how shockingly mean, and just how perplexingly kind, the controversial artist could be. A review of the book and the authoring experience is available on the Atlantic.
Duplitectural Marvels: Exploring China’s Replica Western Cities
February 7, 2013
Following up on the recent theme of copying, Steven Heller’s post for the Atlantic is a review of the new book title Original Copies, which examines China’s copycat architectural movement. Paris in Hangzhou? Or a Holland in Shanghai?
What’s So Bad About Copying? An Art Gallery Scrutinizes Unoriginality
February 7, 2013
Steven Heller’s post for the Atlantic covers the latest show at the New York art space P! which is devoting six months to imitations, rip-offs, and reproductions.
Blowing Minds: The East Village Other, the Rise of Underground Comix and the Alternative Press
February 4, 2013
Steven Heller took part in the opening of “Blowing Minds: The East Village Other, the Rise of Underground Comix and the Alternative Press’ panel discussion.
Design Indaba Conference 2013
February 4, 2013
Steven Heller will be taking part in the Design Indaba Conference 2013 that takes place from Wednesday 27 February to Friday 1 March 2013 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre. Learn more about the Design Indaba conference here.
The Revenge of Margaret Brundage, ’The Queen of the Pulps’
January 31, 2013
Margaret Brundage’s pioneering fantasy and horror magazine covers in the ’30s were controversial for their raciness—and the fact that they were painted by a woman. Steven Heller sheds some light on her legacy through the review of a new book by J. David Spurlock, CEO of Vanguard Press, who plans to put the monarch back on her throne with his forthcoming book, The Alluring Art of Margaret Brundage.
I Want My Helvetica: MTV’s Millenial-Friendly Minimalist Design
January 24, 2013
Steven Heller takes a look at the redesigned MTV on-screen identity, designed for a less outwardly rebellious, small-screen-using generation. Design director Jeffrey Keyton overhauled the network’s visuals to be striking, bold, and clean—while still irreverent. Steve’s post for the Atlantic provides an overview of the work.
Learning How to Grieve in Color
January 10, 2013
Part graphic novel and part memoir, Danny Gregory’s A Kiss Before You Go recounts the designer’s wife’s death in a personal, original, and vibrant way. Steven Heller shares some of the spreads and the outline of the book in his post for the Atlantic.
P-O-R-T-R-A-I-T: The Artist Who Draws With Letters
January 3, 2013
In a post for the Atlantic, Steven Heller takes a look at the work of designer Roberto de Vicq de Cumptich who has embraced the possibilities of using fonts to illustrate images.