The matte white cover of karlssonwilker inc.’s tellmewhy: The First 24 Months of a New York Design Company became scuffed by my fingers, coffee table, brief case, and bed side table. I couldn’t let the irresistible book out of my possession.
The book tellmewhy documents karlssonwilker’s origin, ups, and downs. In 2000, Jan and Hjalti created the firm karlssonwilker, inc. Using borrowed money they opened a small office in New York and furnished it with all the amenities: some chairs and a computer with design software. With client referrals from girlfriends, family, and their former employer Stefan Sagmeister, the duo worked on a number of projects for record companies, restaurants, musicians, artists, cable channels, and fashion labels. A trusty intern helped them design night and day. Some projects were completed and others were not. A few jobs paid and a couple did not. But I got the impression that money meant little; tellmewhy is about owning your business and enjoying yourself while learning how to do it better.
Clare Jacobson lends narration to the book. She documented their Story through humanistic terms and I sympathized with the principals. The two friends had entrepreneurial dreams, fought for their concepts, and learned how to attain new business. They pushed forward despite low/no income. Through each and every project, I hoped they’d hit it big with a giant contract and fat paycheck. It’s just not that easy. As Jan and Hjalti discover, work doesn’t just come to you after purchasing a G4 and renting a studio. However, with all of the business don’ts, karlssonwilker does manage to pull off some very clever dos. They network with each and every connection they have, and make the most of all projects they’re assigned. A caption above the book’s barcode gives away their best piece of advice: “There is no bad publicity.” Anybody looking to start a small business or develop new client relations will find tellmewhy both informative and comical.
The book’s structure is as playful as its content. I read Clare Jacobson’s Story first, while referencing the photo collages of Jan and Hjalti (two handsome men) here and there. Their work (also handsome) linked up with the Story, but had me flipping pages to put the design into the context of the Story. I really enjoyed the testimonials (ranging from endearing fan mail to serious confusion) peppered throughout tellmewhy by the likes of Michael Bierut, Constantin Boym, and Peter Hall. Vectorized charts, graphs, illustrations, and narratives—part Monty Python and part Edward Tufte—somewhat explain what goes on inside the heads and office of Jan and Hjalti. Another layer of entertainment were Tiny Stories written from a surreal point of view:
TINY STORIES (2): i wasn’t there until about the middle and by that time everyone had already divided themselves into groups. i got stuck with some people who wouldn’t even talk to me. i tried to complain about it but no one seemed to care. when i get some money together i am going to bust out of this place. until then i am going to keep my mouth shut and play nice. by the time they start suspecting that i am up to something i will already be well on my way to freedom.
You can label tellmewhy idiotic, inspiring, or both, but there’s no doubt that it’s concept driven and clever. It’s hard not to compare Jan Wilker and Hjalti Karlsson to another whimsical pair of New Yorkers—John Flansburgh and John Linnell, the Brooklyn-based musicians known as They Might Be Giants. Karlssonwilker celebrated their first 2 years with a book; They Might Be Giants celebrated 20 years with a movie. Karlssonwilker has the Spoken Portfolio�; They Might Be Giants has Dial-A-Song. At one point in the 80s, They Might Be Giants were touted as the biggest band that was independent; karlssonwilker seems like the biggest design firm that nobody’s heard of. Each created somewhat of a cult following, with a unique voice all their own.
Near the book’s closing, I read “THAT’S IT FOR NOW AND THANK YOU FOR FLIPPING THROUGH THIS BOOK” in Trade Gothic Bold on a yellow flood. I’m still wondering what’s after the “now” of tellmewhy. This line from They Might Be Giant’s “No One Knows My Plan” eased my curiosity: No one understands; No one knows my plan; I must be silent, must contain my secret smile. You can’t forecast anything from these unpredictable and lovingly freakish designers.
karlssonwilker inc.’s tellmewhy: The First 24 Months of a New York Design Company by Clare Jacobson, Hjalti Karlsson, Jan Wilker
Paperback: 240 pages
Publisher: Princeton Architectural Press; (October 2003)
ISBN: 1568984162
http://www.karlssonwilker.com
This is one of the few designer monographs I have read from cover to cover. It's not a groundbreaking book, nor will it change the way I live as a citizen or a graphic designer, but it entertained the hell out of me — and that's more than I can say for many other design books.
Clare's story has a certain dryness and mundanity (and I mean this in a positive way) that make everything… I don't know… funnier. And, like Jason, I found myself rooting for them in every project, but all the stories seemed to end in them either not getting paid, or getting paid $200.00.
While the book shows their work extensively, the strength of it lies in that it is an extension of their weirdness, humor and personality. The charts, graphs and lists are hilarious, the tiny stories are disturbing and funny, their office layout diagrams are highly entertaining and the spread showing all sorts of printer tests and nightmares is side-splittingly funny.
I enjoyed reading their immigration and visa problems, not because I relish on somebody else's misery but I so identified with it.
The cover though, if you read this book during the summer, it gets sticky.
On Mar.10.2004 at 10:09 PM