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Posts Tagged ‘legendary designer’
Design Legends: Phillip B. Meggs
12/16/2008 12:24 PM By Catherine THe was known as the most important design historian since the days of Nikolaus Pevsner; Phillip Baxter Meggs became known as the first teacher of graphic design to double as its chronicler. Born in 1942, Meggs got his start as an educator by joining the faculty of Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond–the same place he graduated from with a Master of Fine Arts. Meggs was disappointed to learn that many of his students lacked any historical context for graphic design, or its relationship with architecture, industry or current trends.
Meggs got an NEA grant which allowed him to do a series of traveling lectures for literally any college that asked; because he needed to create a standard set of notes and teaching materials, Phillip Meggs found himself in possession of a body of work practically begging to be turned into a book. Did Meggs realize he was making history when he published "A History of Graphic Design" in 1983? He might not have seen it then, but this is a book that is still required reading for anyone serious about graphic design.
Phillip Meggs died in 2002 after a long battle with leukemia; his work continues to touch students of graphic design, especially those who see the craft as something more than a simple service to be rendered on deadline. You can read more about Phillip Meggs’ work on the AIGA website.
Legendary Designer Paula Scher
11/24/2008 2:40 PM By Catherine TBorn in 1948, graphic designer and artist Paula Scher never wanted to go traditional or play nice in print. Scher studied at Philadelphia's Tyler School of Art, created album covers for CBS and Atlantic Records, and moved into art direction for magazines before launching her own design firm.
From Scher's memorable cover art for The New York Times Magazine to her promotional artwork for artists such as Billy Joel and Elvis Costello, Scher's imagination runs wild, what many know best as "creative messiness." Her work for the identity of The Public Theater in New York City was a loud, bold assertion of words, and her Shakespeare In The Park campaign was considered by some to be the first truly "American" design promoting Shakespeare performances. Paula Scher's work was plastered all over New York until the visual identity she made for the Public Theater turned into its own genre in poster design.
Paula Scher is a legend in graphic design and has a permanent collection at the Museum of Modern art, but her accolades go far beyond those you'd expect to find on the mantel; in addition to being a Chrysler Award winner and an inductee into the Art Director's Club Hall of Fame, Scher is also a four-time Grammy nominee for her work in album cover design. You can read more about Paula Scher's work on the AIGA site: http://www.aiga.org/content.cfm/medalist-paulascher.
Do You Know: Ahn Sang-Soo
11/10/2008 6:39 PM By Catherine TBorn in 1952, Ahn Sang-Soo is a major figure in graphic design, especially at home in Korea, where his work in typography forever altered the way people view that particular alphabet. Traditional printed Korean or Hangul was once almost stodgy with its squared-off presentation. To western eyes, old Hangul looks exotic, but it was in desperate need of a re-think; enter Ahn Sang-Soo. His breakthrough in re-thinking Hangul included taking the alphabet's design beyond a square frame, making it far more edgy and visually engaging. Previously, the squared-off look of Hangul was considered one of its major limitations, but with a fresh pair of eyes and a sharp wit, Ahn Sang-Soo took the square and turned it on its head. Since then, he's responsible for 15 books on design and has received accolades including Design Magazine's Designer of the Year award for 1983.
For westerners, one of Ahn Sang-Soo's most well-known images is "Bomb Fishes", which has circulated as a poster or art print since 1991. It's a great example of his style and individualism. Ahn Sang Soo has invented a number of typefaces, but the one he named after himself is an excellent introduction to the mind of this brilliant designer. Cover up an eye and click here to learn more about this amazing graphic designer.
