Directed by hillman curtis, ben nabors, stefan sagmeister. At the time, he was reeling from the death of his mother and a difficult break up with his girlfriend of 11 years. Lots of clips from his upcoming documentary feature, the happy film, will be. Stefan sagmeister has designed graphics for clients as diverse as the rolling stones and the guggenheim museum. What if you could redesign your life, treating it as a design project. Stefan sagmeister is an austrian designer who has worked in new york, hong kong and italy. Documenting stefan sagmeisters meticulous, entertaining. Click here to see which link will work best for your country. Read his interview to get exclusive insights into his creative world. This talk was presented at an official ted conference, and was featured by our editors on the home page. Mar 31, 20 the happy film pitch book both documents sagmeister s touring exhibition, the happy show, and anticipates his ongoing feature length film, the happy film. We started a documentary movie about happiness, called the happy film.
Sure, hes created eyecatching graphics for clients including the rolling stones and lou reed, but he pours. Austrianborn, new yorkbased graphic designer, typographer and artist stefan sagmeister born 1962 often tests and transgresses the boundary between art and design, through his imaginative. Filling the icas entire secondfloor galleries and ramp, and activating the inbetween spaces of the museum, the happy show offers visitors the experience of walking into the designers mind as he attempts. The happy film is a featurelength documentary in grammyaward winning which graphic designer stefan sagmeister undergoes a series of selfexperiments.
The happy film is raising funds for the happy film on kickstarter. I think my love of pushing the boundaries in film comes from my. In the happy film, new york city graphic designer stefan sagmeister set out to answer this question by trying three approaches on himself for three months at a time. Hillman curtis was a filmmaker, new media designer, author, husband and father. The happy film may not make you happier, but it will surely move you to reexamine your own. He has designed album covers for lou reed, ok go, the rolling stones, david byrne, jay z, aerosmith and pat metheny. He lives in new york, the city of his dreams, and he has success in his work, designing album covers for the. The happy film centers around our main subject, stefan sagmeister, a new yorkbased graphic designer known for his rock n roll collaborations and typography. See more ideas about happy show, sagmeister, stefan sagmeister. Stefan sagmeisters newest creation, the happy film creativepro. Trailer for sagmeisters the happy film posted on thursday, may 5, 2016 leave a comment six years in the making, stefan sagmeisters feature documentary the happy film finds the nyc graphic celebrity on a quest to answer the question how does one become happy. His debut film william and the windmill won the grand jury prize at sxsw.
The event was advertised as a fundraiser for the happy film. The happy film is a documentary in which designer stefan sagmeister conducts a series of selfexperiments to test his happiness. A mutual curiosity in the questions surrounding happiness brought the gentlemen together, and thus, the happy film began. Stefan sagmeisters feature documentary the happy film asks the question how does one become happy.
Graphic designer stefan sagmeister takes the audience on a whimsical journey through moments of his life that made him happy and notes how many of these moments have to do with good design. Available with english and spanish subtitles austrian designer stefan sagmeister is doing well. Sure, hes created eyecatching graphics for clients including the rolling stones and lou reed, but he pours his heart and soul into every piece of work. Jan 05, 2017 directed by hillman curtis, ben nabors, stefan sagmeister. The happy film pitch book both documents sagmeisters touring exhibition, the happy show, and anticipates his ongoing feature length film, the happy film. He lives in new york, the city of his dreams, and he has success in his work, designing album covers for the rolling stones, jayz and the talking heads. When the sabbatical year ended and sagmeister returned to new york city to reopen his studio, he convened with friends and filmmakers hillman curtis and ben nabors. The happy film follows his pursuit, and all that he encounters along the way. There are lessons to be learned in stefan sagmeisters happy. Austrian graphic designer stefan sagmeister is doing well. May 05, 2016 trailer for sagmeisters the happy film posted on thursday, may 5, 2016 leave a comment six years in the making, stefan sagmeisters feature documentary the happy film finds the nyc graphic celebrity on a quest to answer the question how does one become happy. But in the back of his mind he suspects there must be something. Known for upsetting norms, he tricks the senses through design, typography, environmental art, conceptual exhibitions and, lately, video.
Stefan sagmeister is known for his work on the happy film 2016, engine room 2008 and helvetica 2007. Stefan sagmeister turns science on himself to determine if a person can influence their own happiness. Exactly, things just dont become beautiful all by themselves. The happy film dokumentarfilm, us 2016 filmverleih. But in the back of his mind he suspects there must be something more. A feature documentary that follows stefan sagmeister on a survey of design, love, drugs, psychology, and, possibly, fleetingly, happiness. Generous support for moca pacific design center is provided by charles s. Stefan sagmeisters newest creation, the happy film. Stefan sagmeister is literally naked in this film, both from a literal sense we see everything. In addition, a live webcam captured the show on an ongoing basis and was available to. Extremely artistic film that captures the essence of what it means to struggle with the ups and downs of love, happiness, relationships, death, and overcoming fears.
Grammy awardwinning graphic designer stefan sagmeister chronicles his efforts at finding happiness in his debut documentary. Sep 02, 20 stefan sagmeister has long fit this bad boy bill. The happy film 2016 directed by stefan sagmeister, ben. See more ideas about stefan sagmeister, sagmeister and walsh and typography. In my experience, happy people tend not to be obsessed with happiness. Stefan sagmeister the happy show is organized by the institute of contemporary art, university of pennsylvania. Successful creative designer stefan sagmeister attempts to find the root of human happiness by experimenting with meditation, therapy, and drugs in this graphic design projectturned experimental.
But despite meditation, psychotherapy and prescription drug therapy yall ready for this trying to chase after something more meaningful turned out to be a. The result, the happy film, is an occasionally affecting tour of one mans methodical, gorgeous solipsism. The happy film titles sagmeister, inc the happy film. Stefan sagmeister is no mere commercial gun for hire. New york designer stefan sagmeister lives in the city of his dreams, and creates work for the likes of the rolling stones and jayz. May 24, 2017 available with english and spanish subtitles. Experimenting with three different approachesmeditation, therapy, and drugssagmeister embarks on an entertaining and introspective quest, accented with a whimsical panoply of graphics, charts, and proverbs. The happy film may not make you happier, but it will surely move you to reexamine your. With jonathan haidt, sheenah hankin, ben nabors, stefan sagmeister.
In the course of a year, sagmeister will experiment with various practices that are widely touted as increasing ones happiness. Seven years in the making, the happy film began as an attempt to find a design solution to a pressing problem. Stefan sagmeister is literally naked in this film, both from a literal sense we see everything and also from a figurative sense hes stripped down to his most vulnerable self. In fact, it turned out that many of the original modernists, once they had worked within that role for a while, discovered that function alone is. The happy film pitch book both documents sagmeister s touring exhibition, the happy show, and antic austrianborn, new yorkbased graphic designer, typographer and artist stefan sagmeister born 1962 often tests and transgresses the boundary between art and design, through his imaginative implementation of typography. Aug 05, 2011 the event was advertised as a fundraiser for the happy film. Designer stefan sagmeister takes us on a personal journey to find out what causes happiness.
The exhibition is curated by claudia gould, the helen goldsmith menschel director, the jewish museum, new york. Renowned for album covers, posters and his recent book of life lessons, designer stefan sagmeister invariably has a slightly different way of looking at things. Hes won two grammys and designed album covers for the rolling stones, talking heads and jayz. Watch the film host a screening buy some stuff write to us watch the happy film now. Pitch book, english, 239 pages with numerous color illustrations, 10 x 7 x 2 cm, softcover. Besides two grammies he also won practically every important international design award. The happy show, sagmeisters first museum show in the united states, both documents a series of selfexperiments meditation, cognitive therapy, and moodaltering pharmaceuticals attempting to improve his. David hillman curtis, stefan sagmeisterder osterreichische designer. Stefan sagmeister will explore the possibilities of achieving happiness as a person and as a designer, his tactics to make sure his work remains a calling without deteriorating into a chore, as well as the chances to design pieces that induce happiness in the audience. May 25, 2016 grammy awardwinning graphic designer stefan sagmeister chronicles his efforts at finding happiness in his debut documentary. Watch the happy film online vimeo on demand on vimeo. Designer stefan sagmeister lives in the city of his dreams, creating work for the rolling stones and jayz. In the happy film, new york city graphic designer stefan sagmeister set out to answer this question by trying three approaches on himself for three months at a.
There are lessons to be learned in stefan sagmeisters. Segments of the artists ongoing video project, the happy film, were on view in the gallery space, and sagmeister brought in a film crew to document the ica exhibition, making it an integral part of an even larger process and enhancing its longerterm impact. Graphic designer, typographer and artist stefan sagmeister born 1962 often tests and teases the boundary between art and design through his imaginative implementation of typography. Watching designer stefan sagmeisters autobiographical documentary, the happy film, will not leave you significantly happier afterward. I will try them all out and report back on the results. Jul 05, 2017 when the sabbatical year ended and sagmeister returned to new york city to reopen his studio, he convened with friends and filmmakers hillman curtis and ben nabors. Awardwinning work, fame, even a sizable apartment in new york city. The happy film, a movie by acclaimed graphic designer stefan sagmeister, is equal parts reality show and experimental art piece. His design work is at once timeless and of the moment. Sagmeister was at his creative peak, but he wasnt very happy.
The happy film tongue firmly in cheek, acclaimed graphic designer stefan sagmeister, whos worked with a few small names like talking heads, jayz and the rolling stones, turns himself into a design project for the happy film. Its a proper look at all the strategies serious psychologists recommend that improve wellbeing, they include meditation, cognitive therapy and psychological drugs. Under the supervision of experts, he pursues 3 controlled trials of mediation, therapy, and drugs, grading himself along the way. The happy show chicago cultural center visual art program exhibitions past exhibitions the happy show graphic designer stefan sagmeister not only tests the boundaries between art and design, he often transgresses it through his imaginative implementation of typography. Long ago, sagmeister, whose motto was stylefart, replaced style with attitude. The happy film is a featurelength documentary in grammyaward winning which graphic designer stefan sagmeister undergoes a series of self experiments. Stefan sagmeister formed the new york based sagmeister inc. In the exhibition the happy show and in the movie the happy film design icon stefan sagmeister got to the bottom of this question. The happy film is a documentary in which designer stefan sagmeister conducts a series of.