Dazed art director Jamie Reid shares his favourite books

Date
2 December 2015

In the space of four years designer Jamie Reid went from graduate to art director of Dazed, working on various publications in between. Earlier this year he gave us an in-depth insight into the complete redesign of the magazine and the challenges that face such a daunting task. Turning Dazed back into a publication that’s fashion-led and editorially smart, the current iteration serves to be a changeable and ever-evolving entity. With a passion for print and a huge bank of references tucked up his sleeve, it made sense to see what gems sit on Jamie’s bookshelf. Mostly photography books, Jamie’s selections are fantastic examples of visually arresting projects packaged into carefully crafted books. From Madonna to subcultures, there’s something for everyone.

Ari Versluis & Ellie Uyttenbroek: Exactitudes

Photographer Ari Versus and profiler Ellie Uyttenbroek’s joint venture Exactitudes is a study of group culture and identity. Straight-up profile shots document Rotterdam gabba clubbers, eco-clubbers, students, football fans, punks, butchers, skinheads; the list goes on. Alongside the more well known, they create new profiles by grouping together, like ‘little brides’ (young girls in wedding outfits) and ‘carry daddies’ (men with their babies in carry harnesses). I love the systematic approach of profiling the subjects together, and juxtaposing them against each other keeps the book diverse and interesting, and a timeless cultural reference.

Howard Huang: Urban Girls

‘Master of Urban Photography Howard Huang’s first book Urban Girls is a mixture of personal work alongside commercial outtakes. Huang’s clients include Black Men, Urban Ink, and Remix magazine. Models included in the book are Passion Jones, Gypsy, and Ebony ‘Risky’ Jones. I love the ultra retouched, high gloss CGI that gets really humorous at times. It’s a good example of an idea and concept communicated and executed perfectly to the brief. Down to the custom Urban Girls Louis Vuitton pattern that runs throughout. It’s low brow and I love it.

Kelly Klein: Underworld

Underworld is a beautifully collated and edited book, curated around imagery addressing the human body. I find the pacing and the structure particularly brilliant. Contributors include Man Ray, Robert Mapplethorpe, Bettina Rheims, Helmut Newton and Steven Meisel.

Madonna: Sex

Maybe my favourite book, Sex is a collaboration between Madonna, photographer Steven Meisel, art director Fabien Baron and editor Glenn O’Brien. Published in 1992 with cameos from Big Daddy Kane, Vanilla Ice, Isabella Rossellini and Naomi Campbell, Madonna’s poems and stories run alongside Meisel’s photography depicting sexual situations and scenarios. Beautiful produced, ring bound with an aluminium cover sealed in a bag (referencing a condom) it’s a really perfectly illustrated and fulfilled project.

Max Natkiel: Studio Paradiso

This book is a documentation of 600 attendees at Amsterdam venue Paradiso from 1980–1986. I’m interested in work that is subversive and left-field, and this book captures that perfectly. Squatters, skinheads, mods and new wavers sit alongside each other and they’re all grouped and edited to show the change throughout the years in taste and club themes.

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About the Author

Rebecca Fulleylove

Rebecca Fulleylove is a freelance writer and editor specialising in art, design and culture. She is also senior writer at Creative Review, having previously worked at Elephant, Google Arts & Culture, and It’s Nice That.

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