Design and text by Marian Bantjes. Foreword by Rick Poynor.
From a remote cabin off Canada’s Pacific coast, Marian Bantjes has created a unique visual language that combines typographical craftsmanship, illustrative flair and personal observation. Her generous approach, meticulous attention to detail and wit have made her one of the most sought-after graphic designers--among art directors, branding agencies and students--of her generation. This is Bantjes’ first complete monograph, exploring the astonishing range of her output over the past decade. It offers candid, thoughtful and insightful commentary on how she works, collaborates and creates her “pretty pictures,” echoing the humorous, wry cultural observation and design comment that formed the centerpiece of her seminal first publication, I Wonder. Whether it is an ornamental design for a magazine cover, information graphic, a poster, a “typographic illustration” or an as-yet-undefined piece of graphic art, Bantjes reveals the source of her inspirations, how she arrives at her design solutions and resolves intricate compositional challenges. This ambitious, luxurious publication presents Bantjes’ projects chronologically, revealing a fascinating journey from her early work as a hot-metal typesetter to her adoption of digital technologies that push conventional print production to the limit. There is inspiration for everyone within these pages, particularly those who prize texture, detail and delicate decoration. Marian Bantjes is a designer-craftsman who has established her own particular form of graphic expression that is prized for its individuality and timelessness. Marian Bantjes began working as a book typesetter in Canada in the mid-1980s and later established her own successful firm. She started to develop her inimitable style of typography in 2003. Since then, her work has attracted an international cult following. She lives near Vancouver, B.C.
Featured image is reproduced from Marian Bantjes: Pretty Pictures.
PRAISE AND REVIEWS
Bookforum
Christopher Lyon
The title of MARIAN BANTJES: PRETTY PICTURES projects a William Morris-like faith in the decorative, as well as an ironic awareness of that concept's toxicity for modernists. The Vancouver-based artist's 2010 collection, I Wonder, amply displayed her design virtuosity: letterforms growings swirls and curlicues, like a figure skater's trail on ice, and intricate border and background designs, assembled in a gorgeous - if a bit airless- small-format volume. Her thumping new fourteen-inch-tall monograph, in which Bantjes looked after every detail, allows her designs the breathing space they need. The pleasure of untangling her complex visuals is enhanced by a text - revealing, no-nonsense, critical, and, at times, brash - in which well-earned self-esteem is barely concealed beneath a bushel of Canadian modesty.
Bookforum
Christopher Lyon
Marian Bantjes: Pretty Pictures is a self-made monograph by the Vancouver virtuoso of computer-assisted illustration and design. The imposing (14-inch-tall) book, every detail of which the obsessive Bantjes looked after, combines mind-numbing complexity with psychedelic sweetness-a volume to get lost in.
Featured image, a 2006 pen drawing called "Hallowe'en Spider," is reproduced from Pretty Pictures, Metropolis Books' new monograph on the innovative Vancouver typographer and graphic artist Marian Bantjes. She writes, "This would end up being the last of my Hallowe'en mailouts. It's a spider of phobias. If you look at its legs, you will see that there are phobias of many kinds written there. And the body of the spider contains the mark of a scary clown, with zombies chasing each other around the abdomen. Gruesome stuff. Shortly after I printed this, I decided I hated it. I very nearly didn't send it out, though in the end I did. I had a couple of hundred left over which went into the garbage, keeping only a few for my records. Looking back on it, it's not so bad." continue to blog
"Here is a true story. At some point I was flying into New York, and as the city lights appeared down below I had this epiphany that, ‘Everything I do, I do for love.’ I realized that as much as I wanted – needed – to make money, it was no longer the motivation for my work. I was doing it because I loved it. I loved making things, and I was making them for myself, and my friends, and a few clients who I was liking very much. I no longer kept track of my hours or the time I put into anything, I just did what I felt I needed to do because it was enjoyable. I decided then to make Valentine’s Day the day I would send things out to clients and friends. Christmas is a meaningless holiday to me, and that time of year is flooded with paraphernalia in everyone’s mailbox. So I thought it would be nice to send people things on an occasion that they don’t normally get mail." Featured image is graphic artist Marian Bantjes' second Valentine, Valentine '06 AKA True Heart, printed from a pen and ink drawing on glassine paper. It is reproduced from Marian Bantjes: Pretty Pictures, published by Metropolis Books. continue to blog
From October 10-12, 2013, ARTBOOK @ Walker teamed up with the AIGA (American Institute of Graphic Arts), whose national conference was held in Minneapolis, for a three-day pop-up design store that reminded us how much we love graphic designers--and how much they love books. Our store featured the very best and newest design books in print today, alongside a brightly curated selection of objects, posters and stationery supplies from the world renowned Walker Shop. continue to blog
FORMAT: Hbk, 10.25 x 13.75 in. / 272 pgs / 800 color. LIST PRICE: U.S. $75.00 LIST PRICE: CANADA $99 ISBN: 9781938922220 PUBLISHER: Metropolis Books AVAILABLE: 9/30/2013 DISTRIBUTION: D.A.P. RETAILER DISC: TRADE PUBLISHING STATUS: Out of stock indefinitely AVAILABILITY: Not available TERRITORY: NA ONLY
Published by Metropolis Books. Design and text by Marian Bantjes. Foreword by Rick Poynor.
From a remote cabin off Canada’s Pacific coast, Marian Bantjes has created a unique visual language that combines typographical craftsmanship, illustrative flair and personal observation. Her generous approach, meticulous attention to detail and wit have made her one of the most sought-after graphic designers--among art directors, branding agencies and students--of her generation. This is Bantjes’ first complete monograph, exploring the astonishing range of her output over the past decade. It offers candid, thoughtful and insightful commentary on how she works, collaborates and creates her “pretty pictures,” echoing the humorous, wry cultural observation and design comment that formed the centerpiece of her seminal first publication, I Wonder. Whether it is an ornamental design for a magazine cover, information graphic, a poster, a “typographic illustration” or an as-yet-undefined piece of graphic art, Bantjes reveals the source of her inspirations, how she arrives at her design solutions and resolves intricate compositional challenges. This ambitious, luxurious publication presents Bantjes’ projects chronologically, revealing a fascinating journey from her early work as a hot-metal typesetter to her adoption of digital technologies that push conventional print production to the limit. There is inspiration for everyone within these pages, particularly those who prize texture, detail and delicate decoration. Marian Bantjes is a designer-craftsman who has established her own particular form of graphic expression that is prized for its individuality and timelessness.
Marian Bantjes began working as a book typesetter in Canada in the mid-1980s and later established her own successful firm. She started to develop her inimitable style of typography in 2003. Since then, her work has attracted an international cult following. She lives near Vancouver, B.C.
