Bookshelf: The inspiring books of Spanish graphic designers Córdova - Canillas

Just one look at the books this Spanish design duo have picked and you know they mean business. Their choice of exhibition catalogues and functional typographic bibles reveal a lot about how Córdova – Canillas work. They themselves declare that their studio’s approach is “defined by a collaborative network that allows them to integrate graphic design, art direction, photography, communication and strategy to develop projects for commercial and institutional clients focused in contemporary culture.” Wowzah! Read on to get very inspired, very quickly.

Marc Bauer: Marc Bauer

The swiss born Marc Bauer is one of our favorite artists. His drawings are the perfect balance between punk and elegance.

Cyprien Gaillard: The Recovery of Discovery

One of our favorite installations is The Recovery of Discovery by Cyprien Gaillard at the KW Institute for Contemporary Art in Berlin. This is a really beautiful catalogue for a really sexy art installation.

Martino Gamper: 100 Chairs in 100 Days

Something great happened when Martino Gamper presented this exhibition at London’s Design Museum. The people from Åbäke took the exhibition and transformed it into a kind of catalogue. They have made a contemporary classic.

Vitra: The Home Collection, 2006

For us this is a fantastic reference for art direction and design. This catalogue changed the way people looked at art direction and content management. They were the first to include lifestyle photography in a luxury brand. Perfect photography and a really nice selection of typefaces and papers.

Swiss Federal Design Grants, 2006

We have a special affection for this book, we bought it when we were students. For us it was a bible of contemporary graphic design. We discovered the Akkurat typeface designed by Laurenz Brunner and from it we learnt to love a simple and clean way of design.