GARY HUSTWIT, DESIGN FILMMAKER

When it comes to films on design we at AIGA/NY consider Gary to be “theman”. Look forward to a night in which he discusses the process of creating his impressive trilogy (Helvetica, Objectified, Urbanized), helping bring the world of design we love to a larger audience through film.

Gary Hustwit is an independent filmmaker based in New York and London. He has produced eight feature documentaries, including the award-winning “I Am Trying To Break Your Heart” about the band Wilco; “Moog”, the documentary about electronic music pioneer Robert Moog; and an experimental feature film with the band Animal Collective. Hustwit worked with punk label SST Records in the late-1980s, ran the independent book publishing house Incommunicado Press during the 1990s, was Vice President of the media website Salon.com in 2000, and started the indie DVD label Plexifilm in 2001.

In 2007 he made his directorial debut with “Helvetica”, a documentary about graphic design and typography. “Helvetica” marked the beginning of a trilogy of design-related films, with “Objectified”, about industrial design and product design following in 2009. “Urbanized”, about the design of cities, has just been released this fall. The films have been broadcast on PBS, BBC1, and other television outlets, and have been screened in over 300 cities worldwide.