Brian Dettmer

Brian Dettmer is a contemporary artist known for his alteration of preexisting media — such as old books, maps, record albums, and cassette tapes — to create new, transformed works of visual fine art. Dettmer was influenced heavily by working in a sign shop where his work transformed to explore the relationship between text, images, language, and codes, including paintings based on braille, Morse Code, and American Sign Language. He began to make work by pasting newspapers and book pages to canvas and tearing off pieces. In 2000, Dettmer started to experiment by gluing and cutting into books. He selectively removes portions to reveal what's inside, though never inserts or moves the contents.

     

ABCD3D by Marion Bataille

Marion Bataille’s simple in concept, yet cleverly designed book, ABCD3D, is an engaging, exciting and modern piece of 3D art. Pushing the notion of the simple pop-up book, it impresses from the moment you are grabbed by its lenticular cover. Marion Bataille lives and works in France. She is widely published there and this was her first book to be published in the UK.

Sam Potts

Sam Potts is equal parts designer, teacher, Twitterer, and possible superhero. He bats left, throws right, and has had fiction rejected by The New Yorker and Harpers. Creative Review in the UK recently featured Potts’s design of the storefront, signage, publications, and packaging of the infamous Brooklyn Superhero Supply Co. He has also done work for the IFC channel, They Might Be Giants, NYU, many publishers of books, the New York Times, and Beck (sort of). Sam Potts Inc. has been an independent graphic design practice since 2002.

In his own words: “I love that there can be an art to nearly everything. I love that Frank Lloyd Wright was shameless. I love that geometry is ancient. I love that the littlest things can make biggest differences, like cufflinks and a pinch of salt and sometimes, five minutes. I love the lowercase 'g' of Electra and the '3' of Walbaum. I love that some things are inexplicable, in fact more things than you’d expect. I love that no expertise is needed to appreciate a well-made thing. I love that you can pretty much always assume there is a better way. I love that anything can seem new. I love that a computer is referred to as a machine. I love that music doesn’t have to mean anything to be beautiful. I love that there are theories about handwriting, the composition of matter, and horse racing. I love the light bulb joke about how many boring people. I love the economy of punctuation. I love the Radiator Building, the Queensboro Bridge, and the Sau Voi Corp. on Lafayette St. I love that anything is interesting if you look at it closely enough. I love the smell of hamburgers that comes in through the window every day, every day.”
(Credit: AIGA NY)

John Gall Book Covers

In today's publishing world, individuality is as quaint a term as dust jacket. Not so for art director John Gall, who brings an original and idiosyncratic design sense to his work for the Knopf Group. Gall’s stylish sensibility, simple but elegant use of typography and quietly rebellious spirit infuse these literary works with an added dimension. Subtle and compelling, his covers play with the perceptions of the viewer in unexpected ways, and to satisfying effect. Scanning the table of trade paperbacks at the local bookseller, one would have no difficulty spotting Gall’s distinctive and visually articulate work.

Aside from having a beautiful cover, A General Theory of Love is an amazing book.

DQ Books

DQ Books is an interactive, online art collaboration project featuring drawings from various international artists on a single, shared theme and technique in an impromptu narration. I often work better under fixed guidelines, so this project appeals to me. Even with all the rules in place, the results can be pretty unexpected. There's also a little soundscape to accompany each book on the site. My personal favorite is "Where's the Party?"