Explore the menagerie of design publications—including many of those listed below—available in Print’s official store, MyDesignShop.
The mission of the Designers & Books website is to introduce and promote books that members of the international design community find important, meaningful and inspirational. Founded in 2009, the site recently became, if not exactly a bricks-and-mortar version of itself, a once-a-year event celebrating everything designers love about books.
The D&B Fair at Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City was not only the place to browse and buy beautiful, wondrous books about design and by designers, it was the place to get the newest books signed by their authors; find rare and coveted titles; hear presentations by such luminaries as Irma Boom, Milton Glaser and Peter Bohlin; meet friends old and new; and get inspired to develop and publish your own projects.
Steve, what inspired you to create this amazing — a word I never use unless it’s truly warranted — event?
After publishing D&B as a website for three years, we realized that we’d become acquainted with all the groups of people that are needed to nurture a fair into existence: writers, editors, publishers, critics, booksellers, antiquarians—and of course those who buy books. And after doing some research we discovered that no one else was doing a book fair that focused on architecture, fashion, graphic design, landscape architecture, product design, urban design and all the other disciplines that we consider our portfolio. So it just seemed to make sense to take the plunge.
This is your second year, right?
The fair was first presented in 2012, unfortunately on the same weekend as Hurricane Sandy. My worst fears were almost realized this time, when it looked like Hurricane Joaquin would come our way.
Luckily, all we have is a little rain and wind, and it’s a very good time to be here, indoors. Did you organize all this yourself?
The first D&B Fair took me a year to plan and produce. With this one, which is co-presented by FIT, we are fortunate to have a small, dedicated team supplemented by Joanne Arbuckle, Dean of the School of Art and Design at FIT, along with her staff.
Same time and place next year?
Save the date for November 11 – 13, 2016.
Any plans to bring it to other cities?
I would love that, and our exhibitors would, I think, be up for that. But realistically we would need special access to an accommodating venue and also the right amount of financial backing to have that happen.
Let’s hope that happens. In the meantime, can readers connect and buy on your site?
Readers can definitely connect with us, but we encourage direct sales from the publishers—so I suggest visiting the websites of all the publishers who participated in the Fair as well as the website of our retail partner, the Strand Book Store.
