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A beast of a book - Taschen strokes the curves of Latin American graphic design
By Guy BingleyCan you taste this page without licking it? Does MASA’s illustration (opposite) make an electric crackle in your ear? Do felt tip pens get you high – even when you keep their lids on?
You could be suffering from synesthesia and it’s probably incurable. But hold that call to your GP. If you can smell colours or taste sounds, you might make the world’s next delicious designs. That transformative skill is often the difference between the merely good designer and the great. Oscar Niemeyer, the architect of Brasilia, suffered: “I pick up a pen and a building flows out of it”, he used to say. Today there are designers across the states of Latin America suffering acutely too. Their mountainous curves, winding rivers and arcing waves swell from sensation into image. The fleshy pulps of their fruit splash onto the printed page.
We’re treated to a flavour by Xavier Bermúdez in his introduction to Taschen’s new Latin American Graphic Design anthology. He writes of award-winning graphics that “taste of colours, smell of the arts of the fertile soil and are observed from the heart.” And the book itself is a labour of love. Over 500 pages brimming with inspiration and emotion. If you get your sweaty summer palms around a copy, you’ll find an A-Z of nearly 200 designers from across the whole continent, spanning more than 100 years.
Brasil stands out bright and bold. From the magazine queen, Bea Feitner – who redesigned Rolling Stone twice – to the king of logos, Alexandre Wollner. In the 1960s, Brasil made giant steps in the world of product design and advertising, and we’re strolling calmly into another golden age now. Just see how many Havaianas you spot on the streets. But try not to imagine how they taste or else synesthesia could kill!
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