PaperPosts
  • PaperPosts
  • Musings
  • Galleries
  • Creations
Menu

Murray GM

  • PaperPosts
  • Musings
  • Galleries
  • Creations
×

Inside the design process of the great Lance Wyman

Murray GM February 26, 2017

What seems like a very long time ago I sponsored the Lance Wyman Visual Diaries project on Kickstarter. Another amazing and ambitious project from Unit Editions. Yesterday the swag arrived, and boy was it worth the wait. The pack included; a boxed version of Lance Wyman: The Visual Diaries 1973-1982, 3 gorgeous enamel badges (classic Wyman logos), 5 postcards, 5 bookmarks (a must as the book is vast), an awesome T-shirt AND Lance Wyman: The Monograph!

lance_wyman_4957.jpg
lance_wyman_4945.jpg
lance_wyman_4951.jpg
lance_wyman_4952.jpg
lance_wyman_4953.jpg
lance_wyman_4978.jpg

The Visual Diaries are a reproduction of 16 of Lance Wyman's sketchbooks (or diaries) from 1973 to 1982. It's a massive (60mm thick) and incredible graphic design resource, revealing process, obsession and genius. It's yet another beautifully designed publication from Unit Editions, who are quickly becoming my favourite design publisher. Their commitment to the integrity of the projects and the quality of the production and design is going to cost me dearly, but improve my design library no end.

What's amazing looking at both The Monograph and The Visual Diaries are how Lance Wyman's themes and design concepts are so interrelated. Ideas worked through, and played with over and over, with never an idea wasted. Here are some pages from The Visual Diaries. 

lance_wyman_4974.jpg
lance_wyman_4962.jpg
lance_wyman_4963.jpg
lance_wyman_4964.jpg
lance_wyman_4965.jpg
lance_wyman_4966.jpg
lance_wyman_4967.jpg
lance_wyman_4968.jpg
lance_wyman_4969.jpg
lance_wyman_4970.jpg
lance_wyman_4972.jpg
lance_wyman_4973.jpg

The Monograph in contrast is another great (again beautifully designed) reference for a variety of his commercial projects. It also includes some great articles and essays. But what I love most about it is how it highlights Wyman's amazing skills at creating Design Language Systems and then pushing them to the limits. Check these page spreads:

lance_wyman_4978.jpg
lance_wyman_4981.jpg
lance_wyman_4982.jpg
lance_wyman_4983.jpg
lance_wyman_4984.jpg
lance_wyman_4985.jpg
lance_wyman_4986.jpg
lance_wyman_4987.jpg
lance_wyman_4989.jpg
lance_wyman_4990.jpg
lance_wyman_4993.jpg
lance_wyman_5001.jpg
lance_wyman_5002.jpg
lance_wyman_5007.jpg
lance_wyman_5015.jpg
lance_wyman_5018.jpg
lance_wyman_5020.jpg
lance_wyman_5022.jpg
lance_wyman_5025.jpg
lance_wyman_5027.jpg
lance_wyman_5028.jpg
lance_wyman_5032.jpg
lance_wyman_5033.jpg

I love the amount of crossover his work has into physical spaces. The scale and dimensionality of many of the idents and logos is awe inspiring.

lance_wyman_5006.jpg
lance_wyman_5008.jpg
lance_wyman_5014.jpg
lance_wyman_4997.jpg
lance_wyman_4995.jpg
lance_wyman_4998.jpg

On top of all this visual system design is a sense of fun and humour that permeates everything. Something else that is pure gold in the book are the typefaces created for the various brand identities and systems.

Here are a selection of his incredible display faces (sorry the distortion is my fault - page curve).

lance_wyman_4988.jpg
lance_wyman_4991.jpg
lance_wyman_5003.jpg
lance_wyman_5009.jpg
lance_wyman_5013.jpg
lance_wyman_5017.jpg
lance_wyman_5019.jpg
lance_wyman_5023.jpg
lance_wyman_5024.jpg

And last of all here's this brilliant piece from the Mexico 68 work - love the guy looking intro the camera.

In book, publisher Tags spin, Unit Editions, Lance Wyman, book, kickstarter, branding
← Rediscovering George MaciunasLetterform Archive - brand and design guidelines →

PaperPosts - Print, paper, mail art and design ephemera

Categories:

  • Pamphlet (1)
  • Photography (1)
  • Recipe book (1)
  • comic (1)
  • exhibition (1)
  • Promotional (2)
  • Game (5)
  • Standards manual (5)
  • publisher (5)
  • Archive (6)
  • Tool (6)
  • print (9)
  • poster (10)
  • postcard (14)
  • art (18)
  • magazine (21)
  • book (46)
  • February 2019 (1)
  • January 2019 (2)
  • December 2018 (2)
  • August 2018 (1)
  • July 2018 (1)
  • March 2018 (1)
  • February 2018 (3)
  • January 2018 (2)
  • November 2017 (1)
  • October 2017 (1)
  • August 2017 (1)
  • March 2017 (2)
  • February 2017 (2)
  • January 2017 (3)
  • December 2016 (1)
  • November 2016 (1)
  • October 2016 (1)
  • September 2016 (1)
  • July 2016 (1)
  • May 2016 (4)
  • April 2016 (3)
  • January 2016 (2)
  • December 2015 (3)
  • November 2015 (1)
  • October 2015 (2)
  • September 2015 (1)
  • August 2015 (2)
  • July 2015 (3)
  • June 2015 (4)
  • April 2015 (1)
  • February 2015 (2)
  • January 2015 (6)
  • December 2014 (2)
  • October 2014 (2)
  • August 2014 (1)
  • May 2014 (1)
  • April 2014 (2)
  • December 2013 (2)
  • October 2013 (2)
  • May 2013 (1)
  • March 2013 (1)
  • January 2013 (1)
  • April 2012 (4)
  • March 2012 (1)
  • September 2011 (1)
  • June 2011 (1)
  • April 2011 (4)
  • November 2010 (9)
  • October 2010 (5)
  • September 2010 (8)

Musings - Occasional opinions, insights, thoughts and other stuff.

Categories: 

  • thinking (3)
  • being human (4)
  • ux (9)
  • funny (11)
Home
Paperposts
Musings
Creations
Things with Faces

About MurrayGM

Looking for the professional me?

Here's my Linkedin and here's my writings related to what I do https://medium.com/@grigomcmahon