On the occasion of Spin's celebratory exhibition and epic new book, we have a copy of Spin 360Degrees to give away, signed by the studio supremo Tony Brook...
Opening today at Magma's Covent Garcen store, is an exhibition of posters by acclaimed London design studio Spin. In its twenty year history, Spin has produced some of the UK's most recognisable examples of top class graphic design with work for Whitechapel Gallery, Haunch of Venison and Christies, to name but a few.
Spin has made a significant contribution to the recent cannon of graphic design in the UK, not only through its commercial work but also through its 'extra curricular' output. Spin founder Tony Brook has, with collaborator Adrian Shaughnessy, given design publishing a shot in the arm with Unit Editions. The two sides of Brook's practice, then, have dovetailed in the making of Spin 360 Degrees, a book that chronicles not only the studio's work but also its ethos, culture and day-to-day existence. It's an attempt to reimagine the format of the studio monograph, and at 520-pages, this book does not fail to deliver in terms of sheer volume and detail.
What has the experience of looking back at over twenty years worth of work been like for Brook? "I have a strong tendency to dislike work in the immediate aftermath of its completion," he admits. "I’m not alone in this I know, so I was reassured by my response to some of the older work featured for clients such as Channel 4 and Nike".
The exhibition at Magma includes as series of specially made poster pieces alongside existing posters, prints and client work. In typical fashion, Spin pulled out all the stops for this show, making the new posters entirely by hand (each is a limited edition of five).
Asked whether the retrospective process of making the book and exhibition will impact how the studio moves forward, Brook says: "It has fired me up, I’m more determined to keep to push against my own perceived limitations. The whole process has given me more confidence to try new things." Grafik for one, will be watching this space for even more terrific Spin work.
To mark the occasion, we have a signed copy of Spin 360 Degrees for one lucky reader to win.
All you need to do is send an email to giveaway@grafik.net with the subject line '360’ telling us what year Tony Brook and Patricia Finegan set up Spin. Entries close Friday 14 August 2015.
The exhibition runs from 29 July to 4 September 2015 at Magma, Covent Garden.
Buy the book from Unit Editions.