Sagmeister set up his graphic design studio in New York in 1993, focusing at first on the music industry—his CD covers for Lou Reed, David Byrne, and the Rolling Stones are well known—then on other commercial commissions and pro bono cultural projects such as a series of posters for the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA).
Two tongues opposing each other were Sagmeister’s choice to announce a design lecture series called Fresh Dialogue. Photographer Tom Schierlitz shot two cow tongues from a nearby market with a large-format camera. The somewhat obscene effect of the elongated wagging tongues was well received by the Sagmeister Studio, but not by some AIGA members.
This poster typifies Stefan Sagmeister’s at once striking and humorous style as well as his ability to come up with a compelling concept and execute it with a raw and straightforward technique.
Gallery label from Rough Cut: Design Takes a Sharp Edge, November 26, 2008–October 12, 2009.
