Marian Bantjes

Last updated
Marian Bantjes
Marian Bantjes Pop!Tech.jpg
Designer Marian Bantjes at Pop!Tech 2008.
Born1963 (age 59–60)
Nationality Canadian
Occupation(s) Typographer, Illustrator, Graphic Designer
Website bantjes.com

Marian Bantjes (born 1963) is a Canadian designer, artist, illustrator, typographer and writer. Describing her work as graphic art, [1] Marian Bantjes is known for her custom lettering, intricate patterning and decorative style. [2] Inspired by illuminated manuscripts, Islamic calligraphy, Baroque ornamentation, [1] Marian Bantjes creates detailed work, often combining the forms of her disparate influences. [2]

Contents

Marian Bantjes has published two books. [3]

Biography

Born in 1963, Marian Bantjes grew up in Saskatchewan, Canada. [4] She studied art for a year in 1982, before dropping out. [1]

She started working in the field of visual communication in 1983 and worked as a book typesetter from 1984 to 1994 for Hartley & Marks. [5] She became well known as a talented graphic designer from 1994 to 2003, when she was a partner and senior designer at Digitopolis in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, where she created identity and communication designs for a wide range of corporate, education and arts organizations. [6] She owned and ran the design firm, with a small staff. [7]

In 2003 Marian left her firm and "strategic design" behind to embark on the work that she has since become internationally known for. Describing herself as a graphic artist, working primarily with custom type and ornament, Bantjes' highly personal, obsessive and sometimes strange graphic work has brought her international recognition and fame as a world-class visual designer. [8] Bantjes is known for her detailed and lovingly precise vector art, obsessive hand work, patterning and highly ornamental style.

Stefan Sagmeister calls Bantjes "one of the most innovative typographers working today," and Noreen Morioka calls Bantjes "the Doyald Young of her generation." In 2005 Bantjes was named one of 25 up-and-coming Designers to Watch (STEP Magazine, January 2005).

Bantjes' clients include Pentagram, Stefan Sagmeister, Saks Fifth Avenue, Bruce Mau Design, Young & Rubicam Chicago, Anni Kuan, Houghton Mifflin, Print Magazine , Wallpaper* , WIRED , The Guardian (UK), The New York Times , among others. She has also worked on design materials for AIGA, TypeCon 2007, and the Society of Graphic Designers of Canada (GDC).

Her work has been featured in STEP, étapes (Paris), Azure, Matrix (Quebec) Tupigrafia (Brazil) and Print, Fontshop's Font 004, and Eye magazine (#58). She has written the design book "I wonder", [9] published by the Monacelli Press, which was dubbed one of the 13 best design books of 2010 by Fastco design. [10] Bantjes has been honored with numerous awards and her work is now part of the permanent collection at the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum. [11]

Bantjes is an accomplished writer on the subjects of typography and design, and was a regular contributor to the popular design website Speak Up. Speak Up is no longer in publication. Bantjes is frequently invited to sit on design award juries and speak at design conferences – such as Trimarchi in 2008 [12] – and design schools around the world. Bantjes says "throwing your individuality into a project is heresy" but she has built a career doing just that, as her signature style is unmistakable. [13] In 2007 she released Restraint, a typeface that integrates her style of ornamentation to be used as shapes and borders. [14]

From 2002–2006 Bantjes served as the Communications VP of the Society of Graphic Designers in British Columbia. She was also the Chair and Creative Director of the 2006 Graphex Canadian design awards. In 2008 Bantjes was invited back to serve as a judge for 'Graphex 2008 Canadian National Design Awards'. Bantjes lives and works internationally from her base on Bowen Island off the west coast of Canada, near Vancouver, BC. [15]

Shows

Awards

Related Research Articles

<i>Emigre</i> (magazine) American graphic design magazine (1984–2005)

Emigre was a (mostly) quarterly magazine published from 1984 until 2005 in Berkeley, California, dedicated to visual communication, graphic design, typography, and design criticism. Produced by Rudy VanderLans and Zuzana Licko, Emigre was known for creating some of the very first digital layouts and typeface designs. Exposure to Licko's typefaces through the magazine lead to the creation of Emigre Fonts in 1985.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum</span> Design museum in Manhattan, New York

Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum is a design museum housed within the Andrew Carnegie Mansion in Manhattan, New York City, along the Upper East Side's Museum Mile. It is one of 19 museums that operate within the Smithsonian Institution and is one of three Smithsonian facilities located in New York City, the other two being the National Museum of the American Indian's George Gustav Heye Center in Bowling Green and the Archives of American Art New York Research Center in the Flatiron District. Unlike other Smithsonian museums, Cooper Hewitt is not free to the public and charges an admissions fee to visitors. It is the only museum in the United States devoted to historical and contemporary design. Its collections and exhibitions explore approximately 240 years of design aesthetic and creativity.

Zuzana Licko is a Slovak-born American type designer and visual artist known for co-founding Emigre Fonts, a digital type foundry in Berkeley, CA. She has designed and produced numerous digital typefaces including the popular Mrs Eaves, Modula, Filosofia, and Matrix. As a corresponding interest she also creates ceramic sculptures, textile prints and jacquard weavings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paula Scher</span> American graphic designer and painter

Paula Scher is an American graphic designer, painter and art educator in design. She also served as the first female principal at Pentagram, which she joined in 1991.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Muriel Cooper</span>

Muriel Cooper was a pioneering book designer, digital designer, researcher, and educator. She was the first design director of the MIT Press, instilling a Bauhaus-influenced design style into its many publications. She moved on to become founder of MIT's Visible Language Workshop, and later became a co-founder of the MIT Media Lab. In 2007, a New York Times article called her "the design heroine you've probably never heard of".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paola Antonelli</span> Italian architect, curator, author, and educator

Paola Antonelli is an Italian architect, curator, author, editor, and educator. Antonelli is the Senior Curator of Architecture and Design at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York, where she also serves as the founding Director of Research and Development. She has been described as "one of the 25 most incisive design visionaries in the world" by TIME magazine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Bierut</span> American graphic designer

Michael Bierut is a graphic designer, design critic and educator, who has been a partner at design firm Pentagram since 1990. He designed the logo for Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stefan Sagmeister</span> Austrian artist

Stefan Sagmeister is an Austrian graphic designer, storyteller, and typographer based in New York City. In 1993, Sagmeister founded his company, Sagmeister Inc., to create designs for the music industry. He has designed album covers for Lou Reed, OK Go, The Rolling Stones, David Byrne, Jay Z, Aerosmith, Talking Heads, Brian Eno and Pat Metheny. From 2011 until 2019 he partnered with Jessica Walsh under the name Sagmeister & Walsh Inc.

J. Abbott Miller or Abbott Miller is an American graphic designer and writer, and a partner at Pentagram, which he joined in 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ellen Lupton</span> American graphic designer

Ellen Lupton is a graphic designer, curator, writer, critic, and educator. Known for her love of typography, Lupton is the Betty Cooke and William O. Steinmetz Design Chair at Maryland Institute College of Art. Previously she was the Senior Curator of Contemporary Design at Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum in New York City and was named Curator Emerita after 30 years of service. She is the founding director of the Graphic Design M.F.A. degree program at Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), where she also serves as director of the Center for Design Thinking. She has written numerous books on graphic design for a variety of audiences. She has contributed to several publications, including Print, Eye, I.D., Metropolis, and The New York Times.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Debbie Millman</span> American writer, educator, artist and designer

Debbie Millman is an American writer, educator, artist, curator, and designer who is best known as the host of the podcast Design Matters. She has authored six books and is the President Emeritus of the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) and chair, one of only five women to hold the position over 100 years. She co-founded the Masters in Branding Program at the School of Visual Arts in New York City with Steven Heller. She was previously the editorial and creative director of Print magazine. Her illustrations have appeared in many major publications, including New York Magazine, Design Observer, and Fast Company and her artwork has been included in many museums and institutes including the Design Museum of Chicago and the Boston Biennale.

Jennifer Morla is an American graphic designer and professor based in San Francisco. She received the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian National Design Award in Communication Design in 2017.

Lisa Strausfeld is an American design professional and information architect.

Astrid Stavro is an Italian graphic designer based in London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Louise Fili</span> American graphic designer

Louise Fili is an American graphic designer recognized for use of typography and quality design. Her work often draws inspiration from her love of Italy, Modernism, and European Art Deco styles. Considered a leader in the postmodern return to historical styles in book jacket design, Fili explores historic typography combined with modern colors and compositions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hella Jongerius</span> Dutch industrial designer (born 1963)

Hella Jongerius is a Dutch industrial designer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jessica Walsh</span> American graphic designer

Jessica Walsh is an American designer, art director, illustrator and educator. She was a partner of the design studio Sagmeister & Walsh (2010–2019), and the founder of the creative agency &Walsh (2019–present). &Walsh is one of the .1% of creative agencies owned by women. She has taught at the School of Visual Arts (SVA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gail Anderson (graphic designer)</span> American graphic designer

Gail Anderson is an American graphic designer, writer, and educator- known for her typographic skill, hand-lettering and poster design.

Emily Oberman is a New York-based multidisciplinary designer and a partner at design studio Pentagram. Formerly, Oberman was a co-founder of design studio Number Seventeen and a designer at Tibor Kalman's studio M & Co.

<i>Design Matters</i> Interview podcast

Design Matters is a podcast founded and hosted by American writer, educator, artist, and designer Debbie Millman. Founded in 2005, Design Matters is considered "the first and longest running podcast about design". It is now hosted on Design Observer, which is published in partnership with AIGA. Debbie Millman has interviewed over 250 guests including Amanda Palmer, Chris Ware, Malcolm Gladwell, Massimo Vignelli, Steven Heller, Marian Bantjes, Tina Roth Eisenberg, Alain de Botton, Alison Bechdel, and Stefan Sagmeister.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Questions Answered - Marian Bantjes". Marian Bantjes. Archived from the original on 2018-03-11. Retrieved 2018-03-10.
  2. 1 2 Heller, Steven. "Marian Bantjes, the Michelangelo of Custom Decorative Lettering". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on 2018-04-14. Retrieved 2018-04-13.
  3. ↑ "Books Archives - Marian Bantjes". Marian Bantjes. Archived from the original on 2018-04-14. Retrieved 2018-04-13.
  4. ↑ "Eye Magazine | Feature | Reputations: Marian Bantjes". www.eyemagazine.com. Archived from the original on 2018-04-14. Retrieved 2018-04-13.
  5. ↑ Walters, John L.; Bantjes, Marian (Summer 2009). "Reputations: Marian Bantjes". Eye Magazine. Vol. 18, no. 72.
  6. ↑ "Marian Bantjes background". Archived from the original on 2015-04-02. Retrieved 2015-03-07.
  7. ↑ "DesignBoom". 14 December 2005. Archived from the original on 2015-04-02. Retrieved 2013-05-03.
  8. ↑ 'Designweek' Archived 2011-02-02 at the Wayback Machine
  9. ↑ Bantjes, Marian (2010). I wonder (1st American ed.). New York: Monacelli Press. ISBN   978-1580932967.
  10. ↑ "13 of the best design books of 2010". Archived from the original on 2011-02-26. Retrieved 2011-03-06.
  11. ↑ 'Seduction Offset lithograph on white wove paper Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, Smithsonian Institution'
  12. ↑ "Conferencias Pasadas - TMDG". TMDG 2016 (in European Spanish). Archived from the original on 2017-03-20. Retrieved 2017-03-20.
  13. ↑ "Ted Talk: Intricate beauty by design". Archived from the original on 2011-02-21. Retrieved 2011-03-06.
  14. ↑ "Cooper-Hewitt, New:Type Restraint". Archived from the original on 2012-10-30. Retrieved 2013-05-03.
  15. ↑ bantjes.com Archived 2011-03-05 at the Wayback Machine

Further reading

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.