Books: Things I Have Learned

There are 15 covers for Stefan Sagmeister's new volume, published by Abrams. While this device is traditionally the preserve of the sales-chasing desperado, the catch here is that you use the image you like best, having chosen the most suitable of the loosely bound signatures within to front the collection.

Featuring a series of maxims the designer claims to have defined throughout his career, Things walks a fine line between folksy homily and the kind of omnipresent statement pioneered by the likes of Jenny Holzer. The kicker is the presentation, which draws on a series of installations Sagmeister prepared for gallerist Jeffrey Deitsch. Part artwork, part graphic design, although the simplicity of the words on offer is often frustrating.

1 May 2008 | Art