Bjarke Ingels and Stefan Sagmeister on the Inspirational Power of Great Design

The starchitect and graphic design legend discuss their newest collaboration Hot To Cold, designing for a greater good, and the creative life well-lived.

Ingels and Sagmeister signing copies of their collaboration Hot To Cold (TASCHEN, 2015).

They arrived at least an hour early, if not more. By the time architect Bjarke Ingels and famed graphic designer Stefan Sagmeister took the mic at TASCHEN Books, the tiny Soho store was filled with over 300 people, the line snaking out the door and down the block. Many were young architects who treated Ingels, a wunderkind designer who at 40 is already a legend, as a star, asking for handshakes and chattering among themselves with excitement. Sagmeister, a veteran of the design world who, among many accomplishments, created some of David Byrne and the Talking Heads’ most iconic album covers, retained his trademark cool, calm stance as fans swirled past. The two had come to TASCHEN to celebrate and discuss their collaboration, Hot To Cold, a weighty tome highlighting some of Bjarke Ingels Group’s (BIG) greatest works, dreams, and unrealized projects, featuring Sagmeister's distinctive design. In this case, Sagmeister had created a rainbow gradient that splashes the cover, meant to conjure a heat map. The book sold out almost immediately.

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