Ladislav Sutnar

Visual Design in Action

Caduff Reto, Heller Steven

Sutnar's brilliant structural systems for clarifying otherwise dense industrial data placed him in the pantheon of Modernist pioneers and made him one of the visionaries of what is today called "information design". "Visual Design in Action" is a snapshot of Sutnar's American period (1939-1976), and includes graphics for Carr's Department Store, advertisements for the Vera Neumann Company, identity for Addo-X, and other stunningly contemporary works. He is best known for his total design concept for the Sweets Catalog Service and lesser known for introducing the parenthesis as a way to typographically distinguish the area code from the rest of a phone number.

"Visual Design in Action" is a testament to the historical relevance of Modernism and the philosophical resonance of Sutnar's focus on the functional beauty of total clarity. This reprint of "Visual Design in Action" (originally published in limited quantities in 1961) is as spot-on about the power of design and "design thinking" as it ever was.

About the Author

Reto Caduff studied typography in Switzerland. Currently he works as a photographer and director for film and television. He is the director of an award-winning documentary, "The Visual Language of Herbert Matter".

Steven Heller was an art director at the New York Times for thirty-three years. Currently, he is co-chair of the MFA Designer as Author Department, Special Consultant to the President of SVA for New Programs, and writes the "Visuals" column for the New York Times Book Review.

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