Tibor Kalman: Perverse Optimist
Pentagram Design, New York, New York, 1998
Description
Tibor Kalman: Perverse Optimist is the comprehensive monograph of the late designer’s work and ideas, with essays and other commentary from clients, collaborators, critics, and friends.
Reducing a lifelong body of work to a single volume was not easy, especially when the subject was the notoriously provocative and contrary but essentially big-hearted Tibor. He worked closely with the designers and editors throughout the process, lovingly questioning every convention of book design, including the need for a title page or table of contents (the book contains neither). On the other hand, the book is generous with information, with many different voices weighing in at various points on Tibor and the history of M&Co. The text-free cover was meant to turn the book into an object.
With Tibor’s reputation as a maddening collaborator, I began this project with some trepidation. To my surprise, the experience was a joy from start to finish. I miss him.
Credits
- Design firm
- Pentagram Design
- Art directors
- Michael Bierut, Tibor Kalman
- Designers
- Michael Bierut, Tibor Kalman, Michael English
- Typeface
- News Gothic
- Printer
- Dai Nippon
- Editors
- Peter Hall, Michael Bierut, Tibor Kalman
- Publisher
- Princeton Architectural Press