Karlssonwilker Inc.'s Tellmewhy: The First 24 Months of a New York Design Company

Grafik: Journal of the Best in International Design
A disarmingly honest account...A surprisingly engaging book that raised a smile.


ReadyMade
The good, the bad, and the hungry tale of two young European designers setting up shop in New York.


Washington Post
...by the time you get to the firm's album covers for the Vines, you'll be a jaded industry expert.


STEP Inside Design
It takes guts to publish a book showcasing your failures, doodles, and unrealized projects as well as your successes.


Susan Yelavich, I.D. The International Design Magazine
a gift to anyone starting their own design office.


Book Description
Why would two talented and employable young graphic designers start up their own practice without any clients, in the midst of a recession, and in a city brimming with world-renowned designers? Karlssonwilker inc.’s tellmewhy is the improbable story of such a venture—or act of bravura or insanity—on the part of Hjalti Karlsson and Jan Wilker, and offers a telling, humorous, and always human insight into the workings of a young startup design studio, showcasing every single project they did in their first two years. A book as iconoclastic as their designs, tellmewhy features fresh stories of karlssonwilker’s ordinary office live and its less-than-romantic tales about rooftop parties, battles with immigration, language obstacles, missed meetings, and money problems. Despite these stories—and because of others—karlssonwilker has produced an impressive body of work in two short years. Tellmewhy shows the happy endings, including signage for a Philadelphia restaurant, logo designs for a New York fashion house, and CD packaging for both independent and major music labels. And it presents the few unrealized designs, like an ad campaign for a TV network. All share the designers’ creative and humorous take on design. Karlssonwilker intersperses these examples with its singular illustrated diagrams, faux flow charts linking the partners’ biographies, work, social lives, and whatever comes to their unique minds. Tellmewhy offers both inspiration and caution for designers everywhere. A foreword by former employer Stefan Sagmeister recalls karlssonwilker’s start in his design office.


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Why would two talented and employable young graphic designers start up their own practice without any clients, in the midst of a recession, and in a city brimming with talented young designers? Karlssonwilker inc.'s tellmewhy is the improbable story of such a venture - or act of bravura or insanity - on the part of Hjalti Karlsson and Jan Wilker. It offers a telling, humorous, and always human insight into the workings of a startup design agency, showcasing a lot of exceptional work in the process. A book as iconoclastic as its designs, tellmewhy is a kind of anti-monograph, featuring fresh stories of karlssonwilker's little-known office and its less-than-romantic tales. There's the one about throwing an office party where their guests picked up clients. And the one about arriving at a meeting two hours late. And the one about calling their dads for money to pay the rent. Despite these stories—and because of others - karlssonwilker has produced an impressive body of design work in two short years. Tellmewhy shows the happy endings, including signage for New York's Stone Street Tavern, logo designs for Anne Klein, and CD packaging for The Vines. And it presents unrealized projects, like an ad campaign for VH1 and a poster that never was for Harry Potter. All share the designers' creative and humorous take on their work. Karlssonwilker intersperses these examples with its signature illustrated diagrams, faux flow charts linking the partners' biographies, work, social lives, and whatever comes to their unique minds. Tellmewhy offers both inspiration and caution for designers everywhere. A foreword by former employer Stefan Sagmeister recalls karlssonwilker's start in his designoffice.


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