serien.book – 40 years of lighting design
Light. Form. Material. – for over four decades.
With serien.book – Over four decades of luminaire design from Rodgau, Germany, a comprehensive catalogue raisonné of serien.lighting is being published for the first time. The publication documents the development of the lighting manufacturer, founded in 1983, through its products, processes and contexts.
It showcases designs created over a period of more than 40 years – supplemented by archive material, photographs, and design and detail sketches. The book reveals connections: between technological developments, design decisions and architectural applications.
The result is not a linear retrospective, but a precisely documented history of development – from the early works in the context of the HfG Offenbach to international projects and established product families.
- INSTITUTION
- Verlag form
- PROJECT
- serien.book – Over four decades of luminaire design from Rodgau, Germany
- PHOTO CREDIT
- Bureau Sandra Doeller
A continuous account of the development of design
The book brings together over 45 product families and traces their development in detail – with technical specifications, design drawings and photographs.
The material is supplemented by previously unpublished content from the archive. The result is a continuous picture of the brand’s creative development – from its experimental beginnings in the 1980s to its status as an internationally established brand in the field of designer lighting.
Content, material and context each form a distinct layer within the book design.
Black paper, silver print and a precisely composed visual sequence give the content its structure. Design is understood not as a surface treatment, but as a distinct layer in its own right – derived from content, material and context.
Texts on the theoretical classification of design and architecture
Markus Frenzl’s texts combine personal interviews with the founders, Jean-Marc da Costa and Manfred Wolf, with a theoretical analysis of the works from the perspectives of design and architecture. The publication thus serves not only as a catalogue raisonné, but also as a reflection on the development, context and significance of lighting design.
The design is by Bureau Sandra Doeller, Frankfurt am Main. The studio takes a conceptual and context-driven approach to visual communication, with a focus on book, poster and exhibition design.
Herausgegeben wurde serien.book vom Verlag form, Frankfurt am Main. Der Verlag ist auf anspruchsvolle Publikationen in den Bereichen Design, Architektur und Corporate Publishing spezialisiert.
© Stiftung Buchkunst, Video: Hanna Vortmüller
serien.book - Over four decades of luminaire design from Rodgau, Germany
568 pages
Catalogue raisonné featuring all product families
Over 350 colour illustrations
Background stories and an interview with the founders
Author: Markus Frenzl
Design: Bureau Sandra Doeller
Publisher: form, Frankfurt am Main
Bilingual (German / English)
Format: 200 × 270 mm
Hardback, thread-bound
ISBN 978-3-943962-78-9
Outstanding design: one of the best German books
Printed by DZA Druckerei in Altenburg – One of Germany’s oldest printing houses
serien.book was produced at the DZA Druckerei in Altenburg, which was founded over 430 years ago and is now one of Germany’s most renowned printers of high-quality art books, exhibition catalogues and museum publications.
