M to M of M/M (Paris) Vol. 1

A 528-page monograph -- conceived as a reschuffled alphabetical dictionary that starts with the letter 'M' on page 311 -- that presents for the first time twenty years of works by M/M (Paris), one of the most emblematic and influential design practices and art partnerships of the twenty-first century. Michaël Amzalag and Mathias Augustyniak originally established M/M (Paris) as a graphic design studio in 1992. Their close associations with the music, fashion and art worldshave led to their becoming one of the most distinctive and acclaimed creative voices of their generation, within graphic design and beyond. Published to mark their twentieth anniversary, this is the definitive monograph. It records hundreds of their mind-blowing projects, each represented in illustrations and photographs and arranged alphabetically from ‘M’ to ‘M’. While print, drawing, photography and an unconventional approach to typography lie at the heart of M/M’s work, they have also produced films, objects or interiors. ‘Our work is about expressing the idea of a dialogue. We transfer elements from fashion to music to art and back again, and keep using different mediums,’ they explain. Each work they produce is unique, but certain elements recur and reverberate — leitmotifs that draw their output, despite its range, into a unified whole. The monograph features collaborations with the finest from a spectrum of creative worlds, including fashion works with the likes of Balenciaga, Calvin Klein, Stella McCartney, Marc Jacobs and Yohji Yamamoto; music works with Benjamin Biolay, Björk, Kanye West and Madonna; magazines such as Vogue Paris, Arena Homme+ or Interview; art projects and exhibitions at the Centre Pompidou, Tate Modern and Guggenheim Museum. Interviews with some of their closest collaborators — such as Björk, Nicolas Ghesquière, Pierre Huyghe, Inez van Lamsweerde & Vinoodh Matadin, Sarah Morris or Glenn O’Brien, as well as Amzalag and Augustyniak themselves, tell M/M’s story. These texts reveal their areas of interest, define their position both within graphic design and beyond and shed new light on the duo’s creative process. Internationally renowned art curator Hans Ulrich Obrist contributes a preface, while contemporary artist Philippe Parreno offers an essay about their joint projects. These multiple conversations and recollections of shared experiences paint an overview of the evolution of the creative world since the early 90s. This ambitious monograph is a rare document and unparalleled insight into the work and minds of Europe’s most thoughtful and influential image-makers.

Emily King is a graphic design historian and curator who has written widely on design-related subjects. She lives in London.