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The jacket is printed with Pantone grey, matte laminate coated and later overprinted with UVI-Spot silkscreen. The image is a sticker that is placed on a embossed space.

Book Design

Neuland

This book allowed us to enter new territory Neuland. When Actar Publishers approached us with the suggestion of producing a book about German graphic design, we were both delighted and skeptical. On the one hand we had lived, studied and worked in Germany and continue to have strong ties to the country, even though we moved to Barcelona in 2005. On the other hand, we wondered if this project was even possible in light of a number of fundamental questions.

The international publishing community already features numerous publications about Swiss, Dutch, British or Scandinavian graphic design, with a scant few dedicated to contemporary German graphic design.

Was this lack of publications the result of the inferior quality of contemporary German graphic design? Or, are German design talents simply harder to track down?

Another question was whether we could even discuss German graphic design given our the work of our contemporaries: Where an Italian designer illustrates in the style of Japanese manga (comics); when an Englishman bases his work on 1970s German design or a Dutchman is reinterpreting Swiss grid-based typography; now, German graphic designers are living abroad while foreign graphic designers are living in Germany.

Is it possible to define contemporary German graphic design? From the start, we decided to view this project as a forum for the work of German designers working abroad and of foreigners practicing within Germany. We leave
it up to readers to decide whether this collection of work constitutes a or not.

Selecting the graphic designers was a long and intensive process. We wanted to find as many young and still unknown graphic designers as possible. Our sources were numerous blogs, magazines, and personal recommendations. We also relied on the knowledge of many important figures in university-level design institutions throughout various European countries. After a three month review process that saw over 700 portfolios, we drew a final selection of 50 graphic designers and graphic design offices to be featured in Neuland. We wish to reiterate our deepest appreciation of everyone who submitted material for our review.

During the selection process we observed a major shift in German graphic design. Not only have the practical capabilities of the designer reached a new level, but also the designer‘s increasing designation as author suggests the existence of an interesting future for German graphic design. This up-and-coming generation is breaking free of cultural and geographical limitations and working within an international context.

Order here: Neuland - The Future of German Graphic Design (English)
Neuland - The Future of German Graphic Design (Deutsch)

In Neuland we present fifty designers. Before we show their work, we asked them the following questions:

- What is German?
- What is German design?
- Please describe your working process.
- What do you aim to achieve with your work?
- You‘ve invited a friend to Germany; name one place they really must visit and a quintessential experience you recommend.
- What is the most important lesson you have learned in your profession so far?

Some of the answer were really surprising. All answers together create a very interesting image of Germany.
In addition we asked the 50 designers to send us pictures of their studio surroundings, their workplace and something utterly german.
Type Design: All the fonts used in this book are based on a very simple grid, composed a proportion of four units high by two units wide. A series of other links between them make it possible to form a font from this grid. We felt it was important to consistently work within these limitations so that any unexpected asperities would help provide the font with its character.
Tp_Kurier_Sans
Tp_Kurier_Serif
Text example

The photography on the cover visualizes the concept of the book Neuland, the construction of a map of the new german graphic design, through the different views of the designers featured in this book.

The picture was taken by Stefan Vorbeck at the entrance of the Caixa Forum, built by the japanese architect Arata Isozaki.
A detail for all DIN lovers. The typographical grid is based upon the DIN A formats.
(C) TwoPoints.Net, 2009. All rights reserved. No part of this project may be reproduced, used, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of TwoPoints.Net.
"Neuland is not TwoPoints.Net's first adventure in the publishing world. The designers are also behind the irresistible design of Super Holland Design, a book dedicated to contemporary Dutch design. TwoPoints.Net is based in Barcelona, yet neither Super Holland nor Neuland reflect their own independent practice nor do they have a Barcelona feeling. Instead, the books seem to have been designed respectively by Dutch or German designers." We Make Money Not Art

"All too often I feel as though these ‘best of...' books don't live up to their name, but here's an exception for you – how suitably German." Its Nice That

"Neuland explores not only the white spot on the map that is Germany, but also invites the reader to discover a new generation of sophisticated designers who will shape the creative landscape of tomorrow." Page

"Neuland... packs in photos and examples from new German designers. ...very highly recommended as essential to any library representing European graphic design examples and trends." The Midwest Book Review

"I was intrigued by these young graphic designers from Germany. As the design scene in Germany has started to change lately, we should keep our eyes on more possibilities of the forthcoming German graphic design. It is worth taking an in-depth look at the well-introduced book, if you are interested in German young graphic designers." Shift Japan

"Neuland brings together so many creative and unique projects by young German designers that above all one thing becomes clear: Germany's new generation need shy no comparison with Switzerland, Holland or England when it comes to graphic design!" Form