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Who are history's most influential graphic designers?

In this fun, fast-paced introduction to the most iconic designers of our time, author John Clifford takes you on a visual history tour that’s packed with the posters, ads, logos, typefaces, covers, and multimedia work that have made these designers great. You’ll find examples of landmark work by such industry luminaries as El Lissitzky, Alexander Rodchenko, A.M. Cassandre, Alvin Lustig, Cipe Pineles, Paul Rand, Saul Bass, Milton Glaser, Wim Crouwel, Stefan Sagmeister, John Maeda, Paula Scher, and more.

Who coined the term graphic design? Who turned film titles into an art? Who pioneered information design? Who was the first female art director of a mass-market American magazine? In Graphic Icons: Visionaries Who Shaped Modern Graphic Design, you start with the who and quickly learn the what, when, and why behind graphic design's most important breakthroughs and the impact their creators had, and continue to have, on the world we live in.

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John Clifford is an award-winning graphic designer/creative director, and principle at Think Studio, a New York City design firm. His recent projects include collateral for The World Financial Center, the L.L. Bean 100th-anniversary book, web design for Maine Road Management, packaging for Paul Labrecque Haircare, and books on architecture, photography, and popular culture for The Monacelli Press, Yale School of Architecture, and Abrams. Previously, Clifford worked at Doyle Partners, Platinum Design, William Stout Publishers, and Chronicle Books, as well as in marketing and sales in the entertainment industry. He has designed for notable clients like Pantone, Saks Fifth Avenue, Martha Stewart, Barnes & Noble, and David Byrne. Clifford has also taught at Parsons School of Design, judged the I.D. Annual Design Review, and written for The Designer's Review of Books.

EARLY MODERN (1900-1935)
Lucian BernhardForerunner of the Sachplakat, or object posters.Style was also known as Plakatstil, or poster style.Opened the way to a new kind of advertising image, with simple shapes and flat colors, no superfluous decorative elements, slogans, or explanatory text.Font designer
Hans Rudi ErdtAlong with Lucian Bernhard, was one of the main representative artists of the Plakatstil movement.Incorporated the brand name as an integral part of the layout
Ludwig HohlweinEnhanced the simplicity of Sachplakat posters, with rich textures and patterns.Key designer for German propaganda posters during two world wars
Breakout: War Posters (6 pages on WWI posters from different countries, all from LOC, in public domain)
Filippo Tommaso Marinetti
Edward McKnight KaufferRevolutionized poster art in Britain with his 1919 poster for the Daily Herald, adapting cubism and futurism and vorticism to his design
El LissitzkyGreatly influenced the design of books, exhibitions, photomontage, and typeOne of the first to effectively use the diagonal axis, asymmetry, white space, and bold,sans serif typeBelieved art and design can be catalysts for change

Breakout: Design for Good
Alexander RodchenkoSoviet Constructivist with strong, direct stylePioneer of photomontage
Stenberg BrothersRussian cinema poster designerswork was a fusion of Constructivism, Dadaist photomontage, and evocative technique of recreating photographs by hand
Theo Van DoesburgDesigner, painter, architect, and poet was one of the leaders of Dutch De Stijl avant-garde movementConsistent use of primary colors, rectangular forms, and asymmetrical composition.Developed a universal language of geometric abstractionLater experiments with the Dada movement
Breakout: The Bauhaus
Herbert Bayerincorporated radical European modernist ideas into American corporate cultureStudent and professor at the Bauhausdesigned signage, kiosks, posters, an all-lowercase typeface, bank notes, advertising

A.M. CassandreStriking designs were some of the earliest to interpret t modern painting ideas, like those of Picasso, Bracque, and Léger.Emphasized the typographic arrangement of words as a key element.Simplified forms that characterized much of design known as modern, or art decoCompositions derived from geometrical base, more common in architecture than graphic design.
W.A. DwigginsCoined the term "graphic design"celebrated a new kind of naturalistic ornamentationWrote the book Layout in Advertising, a manual for moving beyond established commercial art techniques.In his late 40s, began a career in type design
Jan TschicholdDefined "new typography" in 1920s in his classic book Die neue TypographieStrict advocate of modernism in graphic design, softened by experience in 1930sType designer
Education: Layout Basics

MID-CENTURY MODERN (1935-1960)
Lester BeallArt director of magazines, government posters, and corporate identitiesOne of the first Americans to incorporate European modernism and avant-garde ideas
Breakout: WPA Posters (6 pages on Works Project Administration, all from LOC in public domain)
Alexey BrodovitchDefined modern magazine art direction at Harpers BazaarRenowned for fine sense of arrangement of word and imageIntroduced leading modern photographers like Cartier-Bresson, Penn, and Avedon to America
Alex SteinweissDeveloped the custom album cover. Before then, music was sold in plain packagingDesigned over 2500 album covers
Breakout: Design for Music (4-6 past and present design of albums/CDs, posters, sites)
Herbert MatterDesigned innovative montage travel posters for Swiss National Tourist officeWorked for A.M. Cassandre and Alexey Brodovitch, and worked closely with Charles and Ray EamesConsultant for modern furniture manufacturer Knoll for 20 years
Ladislav SutnarCzech avant-garde designer who explored Constructivism and abstractionMoved from early modernism in central Europe to corporate design of USPioneering information designersWrote important studies of design for visual information
Breakout: Information Design
Alvin LustigMaster of form and colorUsed an intellectual approach to solve design problemsWell-known for design of books, magazines, and interiors
Cipe PinelesFirst female Art Director of a mass-market U.S. magazineFirst woman inducted into the New York Art Directors Club (1948), and to be elected to the Art Directors Club Hall of Fame (1975)Hired fine artists to illustrate mainstream magazines
Breakout: Women in Design
Max HuberSwiss designer who worked mostly in MilanWell-known for his dynamic posters for the Monza races, and for jazz record covers
Bradbury ThompsonInnovative uses of color, type, and photographyDesigned a single-case typeface that combined upper- and lower-case formsWrote the book The Art of Graphic Design
Education: Color Basics
Erik NitscheLow-key Swiss-born designer of corporate identity, annual reports, exhibits, packaging, and advertising.Revolutionized the identity of engineering firm General Dynamics, and designed the abstract idea of 'Atoms for Peace'Simplified complex information
Josef Muller-BrockmannCentral figure in Swiss modernist graphic designAdvocated use of grid, sans serif typography, and objective photographyAuthor of key books on graphic design
Armin HofmannAnother central figure in Swiss modernist graphic design

Breakout: Swiss Style
Paul RandClassic design of logos and identity for IBM, ABC, and WestinghouseCombined modernism with American corporate identityOne of the first American designers to write books on his design approach
Saul BassFirst to elevate film title design as an evocative part of the filmDeveloped total identities for films, making the titles, posters, and advertising consistentDesigned iconic logos for AT&T, United Airlines, and Warner Brothers
Breakout: Motion Design (6 pages of contemporary broadcast and film titles)
Lou DorfsmanOversaw every aspect of advertising and corporate identity for CBS TelevisionDesigned a 35-foot-wide mural called Gastrotypographicalassemblage for the CBS cafeteria that listed menu items in wood type
Georg OldenDesigner for television and advertising, pioneered broadcast graphics at CBSGrandson of a slave, was the first prominent African-American graphic designer Breakout: Diversity in Design Archie Boston, Gail Anderson, Venus Dennison, Eddie Opara, Rafael Esquer, Andy Cruz
George LoisBest known for art direction of Esquire covers from 1962-1972Created "I Want My MTV" ad campaignWrote books, including The Big Idea
Will BurtinArt director of Fortune magazineArt director of the house magazine of Upjohn pharmaceutical labs, where he made science comprehensible to a lay audienceDesigned 3D walk-through science exhibitions

LATE/POST-MODERN (1960-1980)
Wim CrouwelLeader in modern Dutch designDeveloped "new alphabet" for computer reading
Otl AicherAs designer for the 1972 Munich Olympics, he created a new set of pictograms that paved the way for the standard stick figures currently used in public signsType designer
Breakout: Pictograms in Design
Tadanoori YokooJapanese graphic designer and artist often linked with 1960s pop culturecomplex and multi-layered imagery
Yusaku KamekuraInfluenced by Bauhaus and traditional Japanese heritage, his long career is marked by a colorful yet minimalist look
Ivan Chermayeff and Tom GeismarLeading corporate identity designersDesigned logos for Mobil, Chase, and PBSAlso known for the exhibits and environmental art installations
Breakout: Logo Designs
Herb LubalinMaster of expressive typographyType designerUsed type as image
Education: Type Basics (4 pages on classification [serif vs. sans], anatomy, hierarchy)
Milton Glaser and Seymour Chwast (were partners in Push Pin Studio, but I'd like to feature them separately)Part of illustration revivalRejected cold modernism in favor of historical references, humor, and surrealism
Muriel CooperPioneer of digital mediaCo-founded Visible Language Workshop at MITDesigned many books and logos
Walter LandorBrand design pioneer who started Landor AssociatesUsed consumer research techniques and strategic thinkingCreated designs with broad appeal

Breakout: Big Brand Design
Massimo VignelliBrought Italian modernism to USRedesigned NYC subway mapDesigned unified system for brochures for National Park Service

DIGITAL ERA (1980-today)
April GreimanLeader in computer-generated designCombined Swiss influences with California experience
Wolfgang WeingartSwiss graphic designer who rebelled against strict Swiss stylePioneer in deconstructed typography
Peter SavilleBest known for designing for post-punk music in the early 80sCombined early modern typographic influences with classical art history references, along with the technology of his eraFocused on non-band imagery to make an emotional connection
Tibor KalmanControversial editor-in-chief and art director of Benetton magazine ColorsUsed provocative imagery to make a point
Education: Image Basics
Karel MartensDutch designer and teacherSpecializes in typographyIn addition to commissioned work, he makes prints and 3D work.
Émigré (Rudy VanderLans and Zuzana Licko)Started influential digital type foundry and magazineEmbraced limitations and opportunities of digital design
Breakout: Font Design
Ed Fellaprofessional commercial artist for 30 years before getting a master's in DesignNow teaches and self-publishes his experimental designsProduces everything by hand
David CarsonLeader of 90s deconstructive typographyCombined surf culture with design
Paula ScherPentagram partner Combines bold imagery with illustrative typography Known for work as diverse as Elvis Costello, The Public Theatre, and Citibank
-Pentagram sidebar-
Michael Beirut Pentagram partner Known for design of identity, environmental, and editorial design
Erik Spiekermann (maybe not-hard to show) Influential typographer, writer, and information designer Started FontShop, the first mail-order distributor for digital fonts Launched design firms MetaDesign, UDN United Designers Networks, and Edenspiekermann
Steven Heller Author of over 130 books on graphic design Co-chair of the MFA Design program at the School of Visual Arts and co-founder of the MFA Design Criticism program
Breakout: Design Writers (Ellen Lupton, Drenttel/Helfand)
Stephen Doyle Expert use of color and classic typography Balances design for mass market with fine art
Hillman Curtis Pioneering web designer, author and filmmaker Designed sites for Yahoo! And Adobe Systems Early master of Flash, used for high-quality animation on the web
Breakout: Web Design (4 pages)
Bruce Mau Canadian designer who collaborated with architect Rem Koolhaas on S, M, L, XL book Co-founded the Massive Change Network, based on ways design can help solve social, economic and political problems
Chip Kidd Influential book-jacket designer Has written novels about graphic design, as well as books about comic books
Breakout: Book Cover Designs (Henry Sene Yee, Helen Yentus, Mark Abrams)
Stefan Sagmeister Austrian-born, New York-based designer Emphasis on concept over style Known for carving type into his body, nudity, and design for musicians like Lou Reed and David Byrne
John Maeda Graphic designer and computer scientist who integrates technology, design, and creativity President of Rhode Island School of Design Was Associate Director of Research at the MIT Media Lab Among other books, he published Laws of Simplicity, based on a research project to find ways for people to simplify their lives in an increasingly complex world.

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Graphic Icons Visionaries Who Shaped Modern Graphic Design

Graphic Icons Visionaries Who Shaped Modern Graphic Design

0321887204

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