EDITORIAL
BUILDING DESIGN FUNDAMENTALS IN PRINT
My career began in the editorial world. The permanence of print requires multidisciplinary mastery: layout, grids, typography, illustration, and production. It demands an eye for visual storytelling, and a prescient feel for trends – what has already been done, and a strong sense of where the new visual opportunities will be. Here is a small sample of the various publications I have been lucky enough to take part in over the years.
Art Direction
Editorial Illustration
Typeography
NYT Science Times:
Beyond the Genome
THE ART OF HOW LITTLE WE KNOW
This illustration appeared as a full spread for The NYT Science Times section. The article explains how little we actually know about the human genome, despite the general misconception that we have "cracked the code". It won an illustration award that year, and scientists and teachers from around the country reached out for a limited poster run of the illustration. Various digital illustrations followed. At that time, The NYT was still "The Paper of Record". It was a very exciting time.
"The only true wisdom is knowing that you know nothing"
—Socrates
Make:
THE EARLY D.I.Y COMMUNITY
Make: has been the heart of the the maker movement since 2005. Make: celebrates makers by recognizing creativity, innovation and curiosity. I started doing illustrations that ranged from simple D.I.Y projects to larger slugs and covers, and also worked with their sister publication, Craft.
This was around the time when people were really excited by publications like ReadyMade, and the general idea of doing things for yourself.
These publications were really ahead of their time, and you can see how this trend has been hugely catalyzed by YouTube and social media. Fortunately, Make: successfully crossed over into the digital publication space, while some valiant efforts did not.
Brink
NATURE, DESIRE, TROUBLE
Brink is an in–print literary journal dedicated to publishing hybrid, cross–genre work of both emerging and established creatives who often reside outside traditional artistic disciplines. By providing space primed to instigate new ideas, Brink fosters dialogue and collaborative community across disciplines and cultural divides.
ReadyMade
ReadyMade was a Berkeley-based, bimonthly magazine which focused on do-it-yourself (DIY) projects involving interior design, making furniture, home improvement, sewing, metalworking, woodworking and other disciplines. It also focused on sustainable design, independent music and DIY culture.
The magazine was marketed to people who enjoy creating unique items to have at home and wear, and featured projects which could often be completed with everyday materials, such as household items.
The Cathedral of Mars
EDITORIAL PROBLEM–SOLVING MADE ME THE MULTIDISCIPLINARY LEADER I AM TODAY, BUT I OWE EVEN MORE TO MY OWN GRANDFATHER.
My grandfather, William Sambrot, was an author of some 200 short stories. He was published in The Saturday Evening Post, Esquire, Playboy, and various SF compendiums with Alfred Hitchcock and Carl Sagan.
Over his desk hung a painting by Arthur Lidov which had accompanied his story, "The Cathedral of Mars", which appeared in the Post on June 24, 1961.
It depicted two (Russian) astronauts summiting a skeletal mountain on Mars, stunned by the unthinkable sight of an earthly Cathedral. William was so taken by the illustration he wrote Lidov to compliment him.
A short while later, the original painting arrived by mail, which he proudly framed. I was so transfixed by it — it said so much, so forcefully, with so few visual devices. How did the Cathedral get there? What was inside? You had to read to find out.
This was my first peek into the editorial world — the duets of good writing and "explicative" art — art for industry, and purpose of design.
Before I even graduated design school, I wanted to be in print, just like my grandfather and his colleague, Lidov. I scoured magazines and books. I lived at Kinokuniya in Japan Town. I learned to notice things. I interned. I did favors. I said "yes" a lot. In time, I got a small reputation for myself.
At first, most of my illustration work was technical. But, as the content got more complex, the work had to become simpler, more interpretive, more inviting, and make intimidating reading more palatable.
How do you get people to read a story about what we don't know about the human genome? This process of reducing and enticing became the foundation for a larger career in experience design, marketing, and then brand — the crown jewel of the design practice.
The name of the game was and is always the same: great storytelling. Give people something to care about in a noisy–attention economy. Make people scratch their heads (which is different than infuriating them).
I think Lidov and my grandfather understood as much or more about "emotional value propositions" than we do now.
—William Sambrot
The Cathedral of Mars