The Education of a Design Entrepreneur by Steven Heller

Author:Steven Heller [Heller, Steven]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781621532064
Published: 2002-07-14T16:00:00+00:00

AN EXPRESSIVE JOURNAL

with Hans Dieter RICHERT, Editor, Publisher, and Designer of Baseline

HANS DIETER REICHERT started his design career in 1987 working in Holland for Total Design and BRS Premsela Vonk. He moved back to England and founded in 1993 the design studio hdr design and in 1995, as codirector, the publishing firm Bradbourne Publishing Ltd. Reichert is publishing, art directing, and coediting the International Typographics Magazine Baseline. In 2001 he produced the book Metaphors in the new series “Baseline Editions,” together with Ken Garland. Reichert also lectures at the University of Reading. He has received many awards for his work, from the Art Director’s Club and Type Director’s Club New York, Type Director’s Club Tokyo, Brno Biennale of Graphic Design/Czech Republic, and Leipzig Bookfair, among others.

Why did you purchase Baseline from its original owners?

As a design company, we were involved with Baseline number 17 and 18 (still under Letraset ownership). Letraset was a dominant international graphic supply company that treated Baseline as its flagship publication. During 1993–94, Esselte, the parent company, decided to close Letraset. All public relations activities stopped, and the magazine was consequently axed. Letraset wanted to sell the publication, and we (myself and Mike Bains) put a business proposal forward, which Letraset accepted. We saw potential in the magazine and took it on as a challenge. Another reason was to have the autonomy to run the magazine as publishers, editors, designers, and distributors (subscription database) and have the total responsibility.

Was the idea to publish the magazine while attending to your professional design work, or did you see a phasing out of one in favor of the other?

The idea was to publish the magazine while attending my other professional design work and gain additional experience in the publishing industry.

What are the different responsibilities you have as publisher as opposed to solely a designer?

My responsibilities as publisher are to produce a product that is initiated (concept of projects and commissioning), published (edited, designed, and produced), and distributed and sold. As a designer, I am mainly engaged in visual aspects of a job, from initial concepts to the realization.

It’s one thing to run a design firm, which has its own set of problems, but as publisher and editor of a magazine, are there issues that you never anticipated?

Yes, you can say that. Dealing with authors (ha, ha, ha—don’t take it personally). Making sure that the quality standard is there and the production cycle is kept (frequency of publication). Footing the production bill.

How does this business impact your design business?

The magazine helps to promote our [hdr design] business. Each edition is a kind of visual design manifest that the design works together with the copy—not against. It shows visual variety in the application of type and images, depending on the contents of the article. It shows the eye for detail, the care taken to design, and the production (printing and finishing) of each issue.

How does this impact your design?

There is a fair amount of verbal exchange among the designers. They learn a lot while designing/working on the magazine.

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