Bold and futuristic: new book explores the work of creative polymath Marc Newson

Marc Newson is that rare beast, a rock star of a designer who has infused a diverse catalogue of objects with a unique sense of personality, using an approach that is both instantly identifiable yet often unexpected. You know it’s a Newson, somehow. Ever since his earliest furniture projects, the lively, neo-pop aluminium furniture that spliced postmodern playfulness with 1990s bling and the nascent digital sampling culture, his work has taken flight, often in very literal ways. Thrillingly, 40 years of his process, experimentation and innovation is presented in a handsome new XXL volume, Marc Newson: 84-24, written by Alison Castle and published by Taschen. 

Marc Newson: 84-24 published by Taschen

As Castle notes, Newson is largely self-taught, parlaying early learning experiences in the jewellery workshop at Sydney College of the Arts into ever larger pieces as he continues to seek out new ways of making the forms he conjures up in his head. In the beginning, this led to a strange hybridisation of method and intent, with industrial-looking pieces, like the aluminium ‘LC1’ lounger from 1984, belying their labour-intensive, highly crafted construction. 

The extent of this labour put early Newson pieces squarely in the realm of design art, a newly emerged category that raised the stakes – and the budgets – of the modern furniture scene. The ‘Lockheed Lounge’ chair (1988) was the apotheosis of this phase, with its sibling, the ‘Embryo’ chair (1988), representing the moment his aesthetic was transferred into a more production-friendly and reproduceable form. 

As Newson’s status grew, collaborations with furniture makers enabled his designs to become more widely available. Cappellini, Moroso and B&B Italia have all produced his distinctive designs, often existing alongside Marc Newson Editions that have a more bespoke and crafted finish. The book also charts the creation of Ikepod, the watch brand developed with Oliver Ike. Newson oversaw six influential watch models between 1996-2008, before taking this knowledge to Apple, at the invitation of his friend and frequent collaborator Jony Ive, to work on the Apple Watch. Since 2019, he has been in partnership with Ive in the creative agency LoveFrom. 

Newson’s interests in technology and transportation are also made abundantly clear, as he got the opportunity to work closely with the manufacturers he admired the most, designing everything from cameras and surfboards to airlines and bicycles. Along the way there have been several notable collaborations with publishers Taschen, like the mighty Lunar Rock edition of Norman Mailer’s MoonFire: The Epic Journey of Apollo 11, inspired by the design of the Eagle lunar module. 

Inevitably, Newson’s mastery of multiple disciplines has resulted in the ultimate in ostentatious commissions, the superyacht, with two examples – one finished, one nearing completion – featured in 84-24. The book provides a rare insight into Solaris and Nausicaä, built by Lloyd Werft and Lürssen respectively. Such projects satisfy the designer’s appreciation of craftsmanship and technology in a way unlike any other. ‘It’s architecture built by watchmakers. It really is that level,’ says Newson. 

84-24 covers four decades of evolution, chronicling an oeuvre that demonstrates a love for all things mechanical and futuristic coupled with an appreciation for softer forms and materials, often struck through with bold pops of colour. From the 1990s onwards, the consistency and quality that Newson has brought to every project has given everything a timeless feel, not mired in passing aesthetic fads or materials trends. This is evident throughout the book. 

Although only the first few projects are presented chronologically, the rest are arranged by genre. However, the visual index at the back of the book sets out the Newson portfolio in date order. Despite working across a number of fast-moving technological sectors, using new materials and processes as they become available, you would be hard-pressed to categorise any of them as being representative of a particular decade.
 

The term ‘retro-futuristic’ is often abused, thrown about as shorthand for design that embodies a nostalgic, almost conservative, vision of tomorrow. Many of Newson’s most notable projects have been strictly conceptual, such as the Kelvin 40 aircraft (2004) and Ford 021C concept car (1999). Each is timeless in form and entirely credible, although on a purely practical level they could never have been made to work as mass-produced objects at the time. In lesser hands, such a brief would result in something cartoonish and instantly dateable, yet both still appear box-fresh and believable. 

Taschen’s mighty format does justice to Newson’s tireless attention to detail, and Castle’s bold claim that Newson ‘needs no introduction’ is most probably correct. For collectors of design and chroniclers of culture, 84-24 is an essential catalogue raisonné of one of the most extraordinary careers in the history of design. 

‘Marc Newson Works 84-24’, £150; ‘Marc Newson Works 84-24: Art Edition’ (edition of 100, in leather box with signed print), price on request, both published by Taschen 

Available from Amazon