Case Study

Stefan Sagmeister

Stefan Sagmeister is a renowned Austrian-born US based contemporary graphic designer and typographer. He is the co-founder of the famous design firm, Sagmeister & Walsh, which he established in partnership with Jessica Walsh. His intriguing and provocative designs redefined the status of graphic designers. Some of his notable designs are showcased on the album covers of The Rolling Stones, Pat Metheny, David Byrne and OK Go.

In New York, Sagmeister briefly worked at M&Co studio, which sponsored his green card application. As the studio was closed and moved to Rome, he set out to establish his own. Having keen interest in music, he decided to work on music graphics but only endorsing the music he prefers. In 1993, he founded the Sagmeister Inc. At first none of the record labels approached him for the album cover designs. So when his friend was about to launch his album he seized the opportunity to design the CD cover for Zinker’s Mountains of Madness. Using the optical illusion, he made the CD cover more tantalizing for the consumers, and his incredible zeal for innovative designs earned him four Grammy nominations for his cover. Inspired by his work, Lou Reed requested him to design cover for his album, Set the Twilight Reeling, in 1996. It was followed by the cover he designed for David Byrne’s album Feelings featuring the GI Joe-style doll