One of the most famous - and arguably professionally relevant - phases in Verner Panton's life was his journeys through Europe. Following his graduation from Copenhagen Art school Verner Panton gave up his position with Arne Jaobsen, converted his VW bus to a basic mobile studio and set off on a series of tours throughout Europe during which he made contact with numerous designers and producers.
While its probably fair to say that this experience alone didn't shape his future work - the journeys did what all such experiences should do and opened his eyes and mind to new ideas, new approaches and new possibilities.
And so helped form the European Verner Panton.
Given this background it is therefore not unsurprising that Verner Panton's work also travels so well. It is after all in the genes.
At the Leipzig Buchmesse we were given a privalleged preview of a forthcoming travelogue written by one of Verner Panton's younger chairs
In "Jordan isn't just a tabloid creation" Verner, Panton Chair junior describes the adventures he experienced on a road trip undertaken with a group of strangers from Stuttgart to the Jordanian capital Amman.
An illustrared novel "Jordan isn't just a tabloid creation" is principally written for children, is however told with a tongue in cheek directness that means adults will find their own amusement in many of the tales.
And although still very much a project in development, the first cosplay Panton Chair characters could already be seen within Leipzig Messe. Which certainly bodes well for the future.
"Jordan isn't just a tabloid creation" by Verner, Panton Chair junior wont be released until the autumn, but we can exclusively offer a few sample pages.
The first is printed below, a further four can be found exclusively on the smow facebook page. The travels of Verner, Panton Chair Junior. Coming soon
