Carson

David Carson Marks His Return To Print With “C A R S O N” Magazine

Arguably the world's most famous graphic designer is returning to print.

"He changed the public face of graphic design," according to Newsweek, and now he's doing it again. TED speaker and experimental graphic design pioneer David Carson is now the Art and Design Director for C A R S O N, a magazine which shares his unique vision and dedication to quality in not only design, but fine art, illustration, photography and writing as well.

"It's not about being retro," explained Alex Storch, the Editor-in-Chief. "It's about pushing forward. People want quality things they can hold and touch, not pseudo-journalism and themed template design on their computers. We're excited for people that have only seen David's books and a heavily worn copy of Ray Gun to experience his mastery of the form. We'd also like them to read some inspiring articles as well."

As writer Douglas Coupland says in Carson's most recent book, Trek, "once something is declared over is exactly the moment it springs back to life."

Storch and Carson have been soliciting contributions from established writers and artists as well as emerging talent in order to bring a new interest to print magazines that stretches past tabloid-style journalism.

"It seems like I'm always asking graphic designers to make their work resemble David Carson's. It's an aesthetic, but also a standard of quality. It's that spirit from which I derived the name, and luckily he went along with it."

Each issue will be themed, and will cover art, culture, design, fashion, and current events.

Carson, who has designed and art directed such diverse publications as Metropolis, Aspen, Armani, Trip, TWSnowboarding, Skateboarding, and Surfer publications, as well as renowned fashion photographer Albert Watson's book, Cyclops, has brought his incredible experience to elevate print to another level once again.

"I love to read real stories about real people and events, and then try to interpret them visually. C A R S O N is a way of seeing our world in an exciting way, which in these times can often seem confusing, overwhelming, and/or soulless."

The pair have anchored themselves in Venice, a community full of artists and surfers. A world which is also familiar to Mr. Carson.

"I grew up mostly in Southern California and the whole surf culture scene. So I think when I started designing, I had more of a 'why not' attitude towards trying new things. But I also have no formal design education, so I never learned all the things youíre not supposed to do. I could probably give you any caption to any photo in Surfer magazine from the 60s and 70s and 80s, but I'm not sure how exactly that influenced me. Surfers and surf media in general tend to be surprisingly conservative," said Carson.

Mr. Carson has won over 170 awards for his work in graphic design, had numerous one man exhibitions of his work worldwide, and has been called the "Art Director of the Era" by Creative Review London. USA Today called his work "visually stunning," and claimed "it may actually get young people reading again."

David Byrne said of Carson's work: "It communicates. But on a level beyond words. Just like music does - slipping in there before anyone has a chance to stop it at the border and ask for papers."

"Print," said Byrne, "is reborn, resurrected, as something initially unrecognizable. It's not really dead, it simply mutated into something else. It has been liberated."

C A R S O N will be published bi-monthly starting in 2011, and a 6-issue subscription can be obtained for $20.