Damien Hirst: I Want to Spend…

1997
Booth-Clibborn Editions
London

A book that took two years to design and redefined the artist’s monograph.  The strong graphic treatment was an attempt to enhance the concepts that the artist was trying to put into his work for a modern, visually literate audience. The book contained short pieces of text rather than long academic essays to ensure people actually read it.

Each series of works is treated in a completely different way featuring ‘gimmicks’ such as pop-ups and stickers. These create an understanding that although art deals with fundamental human concepts, it can also be fun and relevant to everyday life.

The cover uses alienating medical stock photos to disconnect the viewer from design. Damien Hirst’s name is shown as though he is some kind of medical product. The title of the book, which comes from one of his sculptures, is represented in a periodic table. The design provided a starting point for much of the visual style for Hirst’s later project Pharmacy restaurant.

The book won a host of international design awards and has appeared in major book exhibitions world-wide.