Wolf-Gordon: Sample Book, A 50th Anniversary Retrospective
American design company, Wolf-Gordon has released Wolf-Gordon: Sample Book, a single volume documentation of color, pattern and texture in interior surfacing materials from 1967 to 2017. Four sections organized by time-period culminate in articles authored by design experts: Ellen Lupton (Senior Curator / Contemporary Design at the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum), Paul Makovsky (Editorial & Brand Director, Metropolis), Melissa Feldman (design journalist) and David Sokol (design journalist), who collectively analyze the reigning styles that dominated the last fifty years, while detailing Wolf-Gordon’s design contributions during that time.
“At Wolf-Gordon, we are focused on designing for our time. Since 1967, with each new project, we are invigorated by the possibilities of what the product or installation will become. The body of work in Sample Book truly conveys Wolf-Gordon’s values and character.” – Marybeth Shaw, Wolf-Gordon Vice-President, Design & Marketing
Sample Book is organized by strategically varied paper stocks to distinguish its diverse topics. These assorted textures stand out when flipping through the book’s “channels” about licensed design collections, Wolf-Gordon’s various stages of graphic identity, and the company’s myriad creative projects. Texture also appears on the book’s cover, where physical wallcovering samples are inlaid on debossed sections.
Rich with honest imagery, Sample Book captures fifty years of the family-operated business: decades come to life in archived tipcards which have been faithfully photographed and printed on glossy paper to show how pattern and color have changed throughout the years.
Sample Book began with a vision to accurately portray Wolf-Gordon’s transition from simple, open-line wallcovering supplier to respected design brand. It documents the company’s long-term participation in the design continuum, denoting a significant shift when Rick Wolf, David Gordon, and Rob Wolf took over in the 1990s. At this time, the company embarked on a design-centric path, hiring new marketing, design and sales professionals (including Marybeth Shaw and Michael Gorelick) and invigorating the company created by their fathers with renewed entrepreneurial spirit. Sample Book, a publication that is both rich with content and visual impact, fosters a sense of nostalgia through which the spirit, wit and purposefulness of Wolf-Gordon can shine.
Wolf-Gordon: Sample Book is published by Andrea Monfried Editions, known for its exquisitely produced architecture and design publications, and designed by Hjalti Karlsson of karlssonwilker inc., the agency with which Wolf-Gordon has partnered for many aspects of their branding since 2011.
The book is available for pre-order on Amazon and will be for sale in fine book stores beginning the first week of March.
Designer Collaborations | Acknowledgements
Since 1997, Wolf-Gordon has collaborated to create licensed collections with designers, who range from up-and-coming to legendary. The full list includes:
AHOY Studios
Morgan Bajardi
Baratloo-Balch Architects
Petra Blaisse
Boym Partners
Desai/Chia Architecture
Mae Engelgeer
Gensler
Michael Graves
Harvard GSD students
Alexander Isley
karlssonwilker inc.
Myles Karr
Ben Katchor
Graham Kelman
Patty Madden
Charlotte Mann
New Motor
Kari Pei
Karim Rashid
Resistance Design
Anthony Russell
Stefan Sagmeister
Shaw Jelveh Design
David Shields
Snarkitecture
Grethe Sorenson
Laurinda Spear
Christina Tarkowski
Ali Tayar
Tjep.
Tsao & McKown
2×4
Kevin Walz
Carla Weisberg
Elizabeth Whelan
Wolf-Gordon is an American design company offering designers a wide range of interior surfacing products united by the common qualities of excellent design and dependable performance. Founded in 1967 as a comprehensive source for wallcoverings, its product line has since added upholstery and drapery textiles, paints, and Wink clear, dry-erase coating. Through its collaborations with leading national and international designers and in its Design Studio, Wolf- Gordon continues to develop new work that is provocative, inspiring, and of our time. Wolf- Gordon’s growing portfolio of licensed collections includes designs by Laurinda Spear, Karim Rashid, Petra Blaisse, Grethe Sørensen, Kevin Walz, the Boym Partners, Frank Tjepkema, and Mae Engelgeer. Wolf-Gordon sales representatives are based in all major markets in the United States.
