We can’t wait until November 12, when Swiss graphic designer Rosmarie Tissi will join us for a design talk at ArkDes in Stockholm. From the Hall of Femmes circle, we asked Paula Scher to tell us more about her admiration for her colleague and friend.

When did you discover Rosmarie Tissi’s design? What impression did it make on you?
I saw Rosmarie’s work in various publications and annuals in the early and mid-80’s, probably in the magazine Graphis. I remember seeing an article on Odermatt &  Tissi, and was surprised to find out that Tissi was a woman. I loved it and thought it was very contemporary.  I always assumed that everything was designed by men, because in the publications and annuals of that time, it usually was.

Tell us about your first meeting with Rosmarie?
It must have been in Mexico, probably either on a jury of a show, or at a group poster show. She actually liked to travel without Siggi (Odermatt), her by then long time partner. She used to go on extensive vacations by herself, after working all year with him. She didn’t mind traveling alone – I did, but got over it. I remember admiring her independence.

We also were together for a large group poster in exhibit in Teheran in the 90’s, both very upset about having to wear the stupid scarf over our heads every day. It was surprising how much that affected us. I cried the first morning that I had to put it on, and Rosemarie had the same reaction. Some of it was vanity and some of it was rage.

What has your friendship with Rosmarie meant to you as a designer?
Rosmarie was my first female, European design friend. I sometimes saw her at  AGI (Alliance Graphic Internationale) where there were very few women members – more so now, but still, not enough. I was inspired by her work because of its modernity, its beauty and precision, but was also inspired by her as a person.

I admired her confidence and independence. She was opinionated about work, and savvy about the design community. I learned that Swiss poster designers are very competitive and not very nice about it, but I remember that she helped younger designers receive recognition.

She also had a clear handle on old boys clubs. When she traveled to conferences and exhibitions, she was often the sole woman among a powerful group of male designers, who considered themselves peers and would even exclude her from the group.  She never let it undermine her. She had a strong belief in her own talent and accomplishments, and viewed the work of some of the men for what it was.

What part of Tissi’s work do you find most relevant today?
I suspect Rosmarie is about to have a whole new wave of popularity. Her work still looks incredibly fresh and modern. The color, scale, proportion, use of imagery is impeccable. I also like her type design, she designed three faces that are pretty cool. Her posters are dynamic, powerful and gorgeous. She’s classic.

Do you have anything to say to those who are not familiar with her work?
Google her.

Apart from checking out Rosmarie Tissi on the Internet – meet her at the Kolla! talk at ArkDes on November 12, during Kolla! Design Awards. Tickets available here. 

Read more about Paula Scher, a fellow classic, in the Hall of Femmes book on her work. Stay tuned for more praise and inspiration, from one creative to another, under the tagline L’Hommage. 

As designer Paula Scher enters the room, we see that how she
describes herself fits: »Short, with a big personality.« Even the
dog she’s brought along is big. We stare at the dog and then make
ourselves guilty of one of our stupidest interview openings yet.
Us: »Hello. We met Carin Goldberg yesterday. (Pause.)
She has a dog too.«
Paula Scher: »Oh really? She’s a friend of mine, we’re the dog-ladies.«
Us (gravely): »Okay.«

It’s the first time we’ve met Paula – in real life, that is. We’ve spent
quite some time with her already, in our office; we’ve read her book,
once, twice, three times. We’ve quoted it. We’ve taken her truths
to heart, and used them when talking to clients, pretending they’re
ours. But now everything feels different. We’re at her workplace,
Pentagram, in New York, one of the world’s most renowned design
agencies. We’ve taken pictures of ourselves at the entrance, posing
under their big red banner. We’ve waited in the conference room for
half an hour, nervously poking around Pentagram’s book shelves,
and unwinding a little leafing through the magazines. Suddenly she’s
standing there: a small woman and a big design star. With a big dog.

Paula Scher began her career in the record business in the 1970s.
After the interview we take out a record we’ve brought, the Yardbirds
from 1977, and ask if she could sign the sleeve. Paula is overjoyed, as
she has no examples of her own (during her years with CBS Records
she designed over 150 records a year), and is pleased to discover
that the record is »… really well designed and hasn’t aged a bit«. She
wonders if she can buy it, or exchange it for something. We give it to
her, and get a proof copy of the same sleeve in return.

It was at CBS Records – in this hierarchical organization – that Paula’s
interest in power structures and workplace psychology began, an
interest we return to during the conversation. To analyze the social
game between customer and designer she wrote her own book,
Make it Bigger (Princeton Architectural Press, 2002), in which she
punctures the myth that design is something created in ivory towers.
Design, according to Paula Scher, is about people.
A year later, we hear by chance that Paula Scher is lecturing at a
design seminar in Norway. We ask to meet her there for a follow up
interview and, despite the sudden eruption of the Icelandic volcano

Eyjafjallajökull clouding half of Scandinavia, all three of us make it.
We meet in the not yet open bar of her hotel. It must look better in
the evening; the daylight is merciless. In decor of varying flesh-tones
and pile-covered sofas, we welcome a design queen.
The interview feels more relaxed than last time. Paula talks about
growing up in a suburb outside Washington DC with a cartographer
dad and a teacher mum. The structure of how you were supposed to
look and behave was rigid; she felt suffocated by the suburban ideal,
and criticized for who she was. She responded by rebelling, and we
think that she still burns with a desire to be contrary.

Later in the evening we meet Paula in the bar again, where she and
the other speakers from the seminar have got together for a drink.
The positive feeling from earlier in the day disappears immediately as
we fall back into usual social patterns. We get shy and embarrassed,
creep silently in and take a table some distance away. The young
men in the group, on the other hand, make a grand entrance: greet
everyone cheerfully, say what they’re called, what they do. They have
styled glasses, are charming and self-assured. We’re stiff and acting
like idiots.

But even so, when one of the guys leaves Paula’s table, we take our
chance and quickly sit there. She says hello with a hug and a kiss.
Later she asks nicely to borrow a pen and writes in red ink on a napkin
the names of those women she thinks should be added to our list
for the Hall of Femmes book series. The napkin is immediately worth
a million.

At the table a discussion rages on about money and the future of
design. Paula is confrontational and hungry for debate. The men
around her sigh, tell her everything she’s said is wrong, and explain
how things really are. But it’s clear that they have great respect for
her, and it shows in her flashing eyes that she’s never going to let
them be right. At the same table sit two women, 30 years younger,
struck dumb. One of them’s gripping a napkin like it was a life-buoy.

Preface Hall of Femmes: Paula Scher, 2011
Editor: Maina Arvas

Buy the book here.
Buy the poster here.

Nu ska ni få den enda lista ni behöver inför julen. Det är lite oklart om det är en inköpslista eller önskelista, både och förmodligen – det vet ju alla att man alltid hittar bäst presenter till sig själv. Det är lika bra vi säger det på en gång, den är väldigt partisk, ingenting du lika gärna kan slöjda själv, allt är kvalitet men inget är gratis!

1. Självklart vill vi att alla du känner ska läsa alla våra böcker och att väggen som är det första du ser när du slår upp ögonen på morgonen, hela tunnelbanevagnen på väg till jobbet,  utrymmet bredvid kaffemaskinen på kontoret  och varenda lägenhet du tjuvkikar in i på kvällarna alla ska vara tapetserade med Hall of Femmes affischer. I år gav vi ut tre nya böcker och lika många affischer, om Janet Froelich, Lella Vignelli och Tomoko Miho. Dessutom gjorde vi Bloggboken, där du som vill julevila skrollfingrarna kan läsa Hall of Femmes blogg i bokformat. Dessutom har Ruth Ansel formgivit en fin bok förra året och dom här fina anteckningsböckerna har Paula Scher gjort. För den som redan har allt Hall of Femmes-relaterat (vi älskar dig), och hellre vill blicka in i framtiden, föreslår vi att köpa biljetter till det här eventet vi ordnar på Arkitektur och Designcentrum, True Freedom can only be collective – a seminar celebrating Lina Bo Bardi.

2. Årets största konsthändelse i Stockholm – vid sidan av Barbara Krugers föreläsning i maj – var förmodligen Cindy Shermans utställning på Moderna museet. Årets konstkatalog är helt följdriktigt Stefania Malmstens katalog för utställningen, där litterära texter blandas med konstbilder. En annan av våra favoritkatalogformgivare Anders Wester har gjort den här om Charles Long.

3. Kören The Sweptaways 10 år som Stockholms mest lysande popkör har blivit till en kombinerad foto- och notbok (kan även köpas på Bondegatan 11 under kontorstid) med arr och nyskrivna texter av kören själv. När alla julaftonsvännerna gått hem, sätter du på den nya skivan och sjunger med, svajande framför granen.

4. För dig som känner, eller själv är, en fåfäng bebis – här är dom mjuka paketen från en av våra svenska favoritformgivare, Ida Wessel och hennes klädmärke för barn, Tuut kids.

5. För dig som känner någon som är – eller själv är – ålderslös. För utan att ha läst den ännu, föreställer vi oss att Bea Uusmas bok Expeditionen kan ges bort till vem som helst, i vilken ålder som helst. Formgivning av Lotta Kühlhorn är såklart den andra anledningen att köpa boken.

6. The Gentlewoman kan du köpa en prenumeration på här. Prenumerationer är för övrigt världens bästa present, spridd över året och alltid lika glad överraskning när ett nytt nummer kommer. Vi rekommenderar även Mattias Åkerbergs ambitiösa nyhetsbrev Please Copy Me. Och för fanzineälskaren: maila me@johanbjorkegren.se och beställ 44 sidor talang.

9. Till den som är mer teoretiskt lagd, köp Hello World eller 100 Ideas that Changed Graphic Design. Och för den som vill ha en bok som räcker i flera år och är så tung att man inte behöver ge bort ett gymkort, köp Svensk illustration – en visuell historia. Och såklart: In som ett lamm, ut som en tigrinna.

10. När du köpt alla dom här sakerna, föreslår vi att du slår in allt i rättesnöret.

Köp Paula Scheers nya bok Maps till dig själv i julklapp. Slappa en stund framför brasan/spisen/elementet/ett stearinljus och bläddra bland dom extremt pilliga och detaljerade handmålade kartorna och betänk att detta är något Paula gör när hon vill slappa efter en stressig dag på en av världens mest kända designbyråer.

Kloka tankar från Paula Scher om kombinationskreativitet och sin egen snabbhet som designer (I’m not a refiner). Hon menar att hon får sina idéer omedelbart – men ur den erfarenhet hon samlat på sig under hela sitt yrkesliv. (Runt 03.20 i filmen).

Låt oss presentera en av Hall of Femmes viktigaste medarbetare – Nina Beckmann, vår projektledare. Nina arbetar med flera olika projekt parallellt. Hon har varit vikarierande professor i illustration på Konstfack med ansvar för masterstudenterna och när hon inte projektleder Kolla! eller driver Wonderwall, styr hon upp vårt arbete med Hall of Femmes. Med sin outtröttligt konstruktiva attityd hjälper hon oss att hitta lösningar på problem, behålla fokus när vi snöar in på detaljer och ger oss ny motivation när vi blir trötta och gnälliga. Nina Beckmann är kvinnan bakom kvinnorna, och vilken kvinna sen!

Men ok, lite mer specifikt. Inga-Britt Ahlenius, för civilkuraget som verkar genomsyra hennes karriär. Robyn, hur hon tar saken i egna händer, startar skivbolag, utvecklas musikaliskt, bjuder på show och otippade lösningar samt hennes intresse för form och det visuella utryck. Paula Scher i sin oräddhet, smartness och professionalism.

Hur blev du feministiskt medveten?