Legendary Harper’s Bazaar art director Alexey Brodovitch had a favorite saying: “Why to eat bacon and eggs every day?” The designers at San Francisco-based design firm Cahan & Associates, in their hunger for fresh ideas, find inspiration in the most unexpected places, such as an oddly sculptural piece of discarded metal in the alley near their office, or a conversation with an elaborately tattooed bicycle messenger. From these eclectic ingredients the office serves up in-your-face graphics that are exceptional for their visceral impact yet still convey the strategic thinking behind each piece.
The firm’s working methods, involving extensive exploration, collaborations, and play, are documented in this monograph through interviews with founder Bill Cahan, clients, and vendors; writings by colleagues; photo essays; proposals to clients that were accepted and rejected; and finished pieces, providing a portrait of a firm for whom process is just as important as product.
