Stefan Sagmeister Delivers a Cheerful Message for Illy Art Collection Cup Design

Rise and shine! That’s the message New York–based graphic designer Stefan Sagmeister delivers—literally and metaphorically—with Now = Better, a coffee cup and saucer he’s created for the illy Art Collection, an ongoing project in which such previous artists as Marina Abramovic and Olimpia Zagnoli have given the everyday object—originally designed in 1990 by Interior Design Hall of Fame member Matteo Thun—an aesthetic makeover. The opposite of a doom merchant, Sagmeister argues that the pandemic and other current crises make us doubt that human life continues to improve—that we forget our advancements on the past and by doing so hobble our progress in the future. The designer’s long-term optimism finds expression in the mirrored titanium surface of each cup, which reflect the saucer’s bold and colorful graphics as upward curves of rising achievement. Ready for your double shot of positivity?