The projects in this book began as a list Stefan Sagmeister found in his diary under the title 'Things I have learned in my life so far'. Given an incredible amount of freedom by some of his clients, he began transforming these 21 aphorisms into typographic works; they have since appeared as French and Portuguese billboards, a Japanese annual report, on German television, in an Austrian magazine, as a New York direct mailer and as an American poster campaign. Taken together, the collection is part design project, part work of art, part examination of the pursuit of happiness. To this end, noted designer Steven Heller, art critic and curator Nancy Spector and psychologist and ''Happiness: The Science Behind Your Smile'' author Daniel Nettle will contribute essays to the book.