JWM - Volume 2, Issue 1 - (Page 27)

E S SE N T IA L S DISTINC TIVE PRODUCTS, PEOPLE, IDEAS & STYLE Stefan Sagmeister’s documentary explores the way to happiness. © PHOTO PROVIDED BY SAGMEISTER INC. Designing Happiness T A mood-enhancing work in progress. in pursuit of happiness. Watch as he makes his—often unorthodox—way toward a happier place in a documentary Sagmeister co-directed with New York ﬁlmmaker and designer Hillman Curtis. “In one instance Stefan tries something as simple as giving a ﬂower away to a woman in a crowded green market, which is something that requires on his part a large amount of courage,” says Curtis. “Very simple, but the results are both hysterical and inspiring.” There’s a theory that to avoid feeling unhappy one should live without expectations, and Sagmeister agrees. “Many people suspect that one reason Denmark is always doing so well in international happiness surveys is because Danes manage to keep their expectations down.” That said, the forthcoming happiness ﬁlm is not a downer. “It should be possible to train my mind in the same way that I can train my body,” says Sagmeister. “I was always interested in how to improve my surroundings and well-being and, in a sense, why be interested in anything else? Trying out a new medium [ﬁlm] prevents me from becoming too complacent. It might fail miserably, but if I’ve gotten a hair happier in the process, it might have been worth my while.” — ADAM BAER he Manhattan-based Austrian designer Stefan Sagmeister, 49, passed on the offer to make a campaign poster for Barack Obama because the work interfered with a regular sabbatical he takes to stay refreshed. A career misstep? Or maybe this guy has something ﬁgured out. A diary entry on the London Design Museum site may provide a clue. “I just have to make time for something better. Something good.” He’s a graphic designer and a typographer, an album cover creator and an artist. And he’s J WM MAGAZINE 27 J W M A R R I O T T. C O M http://www.JWMARRIOTT.COM

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of JWM - Volume 2, Issue 1

JWM - Volume 2, Issue 1
Contents
Contributors
Editor's Letter
JW Experts
Distinctive Products, People, Ideas & Style
The Pop-Up Chef
Spa-nthropology
Welcome Back, Bolshoi
The Portal
Behind the Scenes
From Pour to Pair
Space, Redefined
Greatest Show on Earth
JW Experience
My Passion

JWM - Volume 2, Issue 1