John Van Hamersveld, Coolhous Studio: 50 Years of Graphic Design

by John Van Hamersveld, Coolhous Studio, Shepard Fairey (Foreword)

The exciting visual arc of John Van Hamersveld's long and storied career is encapsulated in Fifty Years of Graphic Design. The book features Van Hamersveld's illustrations, graphic design work and photographs. Amazing anecdotes ranging from his dealings with music executives when designing album covers to getting high with Jefferson Airplane accompany the graphic work, bringing the collection fully to life. In the early 1960s while attending Art Center College of Design by day, he began his professional career as art director of Surfer magazine. By the mid-1960s, Van Hamersveld's ground-breaking promotional poster for the cult surf film The Endless Summer was making the rounds, and a name for its creator in the process. Eventually Van Hamersveld directed his talents toward creating stunning concert posters promoting shows by the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Jefferson Airplane, The Who and more. By the late '60s, John was hired as an art director for Capitol Records where he went on to design 300 album covers, including The Magical Mystery Tour by The Beatles, Exile on Main Street by the Rolling Stones, Skeletons from the Closet by the Grateful Dead, Eat to the Beat by Blondie, and This is What You Want by Public Image Ltd., to name a few. Van Hamersveld's psychedelic renderings, whether for posters or albums, are widely regarded as some of the best of the form, but what readers may be surprised to discover is just how dynamic the rest of his work is; his output as a draftsman, designer and photographer continues to be impressive and compelling.

302 pages, Hardcover

First published June 30, 2012

Reviews

[Tom Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

You'd think for a book about graphic design, the actual design of the book would be pretty good. The layout of this is dog shit. The content on the other hand is pretty good and inspiring.

[Bill Lancaster · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a beautiful book, heavy with lush printing and gorgeous graphics. John van Hamersveld is an amazing designer, with great work to his credit. He has created iconic images that we have all seen and recognize, though we may not be able to hang a name to them. Still, a great career, amazing work.

The problem with this book is that it seems as if it was written by a public relations firm. It is self-congratulatory, self-important and it is rare that a page goes by without being told about van Hamersveld's importance and his place in the history of graphic design. He (or his public relations firm) could learn a valuable lesson from the writing in Louise Fili's quiet, beautiful graphic design monograph, "Elegantissimo".

[Joyce Harrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're interested in pop culture, this book is not only full of beautiful photos of John's work, it also gives you a behind-the-scenes look at the world of art and music over these decades. You may want to keep it on the coffee table because of the graphics but the colorful stories make it an equally great read.

[Alex Mecl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great compilation of American pop art history!