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When Michael Freimuth, a designer at Sagmeister Inc., sat down to judge the Midwest, he says, “I was looking for a slap in the face. Something that in the context of a thousand design entries shocks or excites me.” A native Midwesterner—he was born in Minneapolis, grew up north of Chicago, and went to college in St. Louis—he says the region has a tradition, if not a style per se. “The Midwest has always had incredibly strong corporate work balanced with a rich, homegrown creative heritage,” he says. Those were certainly well-represented here. And in the face-slapping category, he puts the University of Chicago Press’s book designs (“It’s like they’re having a renaissance over there”) as well as Ferocious Quarterly. “Though the covers are interesting, it’s the interiors of these publications that are just beautiful—filled with gorgeous two-color comics, illustration, and captivating typography,” Freimuth says. “I should probably get
a subscription.”
—Phil Jones, Phil Jones Design
—Isaac Tobin, The University of Chicago Press
—Jovaney A. Hollingsworth, Charles S. Anderson Design co.
