- educated first at the University for Applied Arts in Vienna, and later at the Pratt Institute (NYC), where he graduated in 1988
- chose to study design because he wanted to do visual work in the music industry
- in contrast to his latest work, Sagmeister's early work was functional and very cold
- he worked briefly with Tibor Kalman and M&Co Labs, until being forced to return to Austria for military service, after which he worked freelance
- at the Hong Kong office of Leo Burnett, Sagmeister gained his current radical reputation when he designed the poster for the Southeast Asia Association of Accredited Advertising Agencies' call for entries, which depicted several businessmen mooning the viewer
- his design for the band Pro-Pain's cd cover (which depicts a dead girl sewn up after an autopsy) added to his reputation as a radical designer, but caused him to re-evaluate his style
- founded Sagmeister, Inc. in 1993
- prefers to work as part of a very small team
- published Things I Have Learned in My Life So Far in 2008
- hates T.V. because it is uninspiring
works consulted
Radical Graphics/Graphic Radicals by Laurel Harper
Inspirability by Matt Pashkow
Stefan Sagmeister / Design Museum Collection; http://designmuseum.org/design/stefan-sagmeister
10 things to know about Paula Scher
- studied illustration at the Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia
- began career as record cover art director for Atlantic & CBS Records in the 1970's
- Scher has been a principal at Pentagram (NYC office) since 1991
- best known for her heavily type-based approach
- her Best Of Jazz poster (1970's) was considered unorthodox at the time, due to its heavy focus on typography
- her design for the Public Theater identity (1994) has gained Scher much acclaim
- her Bring in da Noise, Bring in da Funk poster (1996) is perhaps Scher's most well-known piece, reflecting her typographic style
- inducted into the Art Directors Club Hall of Fame in 1998
- received Chrysler Award for Innovation in Design in 2000
- received AIGA Medal in 2001
- granted Doctor of Fine Arts Honoris Causa from the Corcoran College of Art and Design
works consulted
Make it Bigger by Paula Scher
Radical Graphics/Graphic Radicals by Laurel Harper
Inspirability by Matt Pashkow
Paula Scher - AIGA; http://www.aiga.org/content.cfm/medalist-paulascher
Paul Rand: American modernist
Paul Rand was born Peretz Rosenbaum in Brooklyn in 1914. His Orthodox Jewish upbringing made graphic design and unlikely career, but from an early age Rand showed a passion for creating visual imagery. He began painting as a child, making signs for his father's grocery store and his public school. Although he showed great potential, Rand's father did not see art as an appropriate career for his son, and thus Rand was forced to study at Harren High School in Manhattan, only taking art classes at night. After high school, Rand studied first at the Pratt Institute, later at Parsons, and finally at the Art Students League. Despite his vast artistic education, Rand's modernist style was mostly self-taught, out of his own interest in European modernist artists and designers. Rand began his career working part-time creating stock images for distribution to local newspapers and magazines. It was around this time that he changed his name from Peretz Rosenbaum to Paul Rand. He picked "Paul Rand" because he felt that have four letters in each name would make for a pleasing aesthetic. It didn't take long for Rand to make a name for himself. His designs for Direction Magazine gained Rand much acclaim when he was just in his early 20's. In 1936, Rand did the layout for Apparel Arts Magazine's anniversary issue. The spectacular layout earned him a job offer as art director for Esquire-Coronet Magazines. Initially, Rand turned the offer down, feeling that he was not qualified, but later he accepted. His later career consists almost entirely of logos. Rand's most famous works include the identities of IBM, ABC, UPS, Westinghouse, Cummins Engine, NeXT, Enron, and USSB. Rand believed that a logo ought to be incredibly simple if it is to survive. Perhaps the longevity of his work proves this point. Rand was a strong believer in the importance of play in design. He believed that play was the best way to resolve design problems and encouraged students to be playful when he taught at Yale from 1956 to 1967, and again in 1974. In 1972, Rand was inducted into the Art Directors Club Hall of Fame, further solidifying his reputation. By the end of his career, Rand was able to charge in the neighborhood of $100,000 for a logo, and companies would gladly pay it, knowing that a Paul Rand logo is a timeless logo. Despite his hugely influential role in visual design, Rand has been criticized for his strictly modernist approach, especially near the end of his career. Several contemporaries of Rand's have said that he was scared of new ideas and that he was stuck in his ways. I personally am not the biggest fan of modernism, but even so, Rand's work cannot be considered anything less than hugely influential in the world of design. Regardless of personal preference, Paul Rand has certainly made a lasting mark in the field of visual design. Paul Rand passed away in 1996, leaving a huge legacy behind.
Rand's best known work
http://fionadaniels.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/paul_rand_logos.jpg
works consulted
Design Dialogs by Steven Heller and Elinor Pettit
Paul Rand: Conversations with Students by Michael Kroeger
Paul-Rand.com; http://www.paul-rand.com/
