Famous Graphic Designers 1

Famous Graphic Designers

There are many famous graphic designers that have made their mark on the graphic design world.  Many of them are responsible for designs that we see everyday.  There are other famous graphic designers that we may not know by name, but pioneered the graphic design industry, turning many regular cartoonists into famous graphic designers.

The title of “graphic designer” is given to any person who creates a design buy putting together different shapes, images, art and typography to create a piece of their own.  Graphic design is used in every industry.  Graphic designers create advertisements, company logos, food labels, magazines, and all other publications.

There are many famous graphic designers that have pioneered the industry and have made a great mark on the design world.  Here are 7 famous graphic designers and a few details about their work.

1. Giambattista Bodoni (1740 – 1813) was an Italian graphic designer. He was also an engraver, typographer, publisher and printer.  His father and grandfather were both in the printmaking business in Italy, and after battling Malaria, he went to work in a printing house.  He achieved a printing style that was aesthetically plain and unadorned.  This is the very work he is known for in today’s age.  The typeface (font) “Bodini,” was his creation.
2. Neville Brody (April 23, 1957) is an English graphic designer and typographer, who is most recognized for his work on “The Face” Magazine and “Arena” Magazine, in the 80’s and 90’s.  He also designed album covers for popular music artists, including Depeche Mode.  Neville Brody, along with his partner, Fwa Richards, launched their own design practice in 1994, called Research Studios.  He is also a primary founding member of Fontworks.  Brody is one of the most famous graphic designers of the 20th century and he is still very much a part of the graphic design industry.
3. David Carson (September 8, 1952) is known as the “Father of Grunge.”  He is an American graphic designer who is most well known for his magazine design and experimental typography.  David Carson has been called the “Most influential graphic designer of the 1990’s.”   He is known all throughout the world for his typeface designs.  He currently owns a studio in the US (California) and one in Zurich.  He has won many awards in his time, and, like Neville Brody, is one of the most famous graphic designers around today.
4. Jonathan Ive (February, 1967) is an English designer and is the principal designer behind the iMac, MacBook, iPod, iPad, and iPhone.  He is the Senior Vice-President of Industrial Design at Apple Inc.  He is one of the most famous graphic designers of the 21st century.  Among other awards and recognition, Fortune Magazine named Jonathan Ive “World’s Smartest Designer” in 2010.
5. Paul Rand (August 15, 1914-November 26, 1996) was a graphic designer best known for his corporate logo designs, including logos for companies such as UPS, IBM, Enron, ABC, and Westinghouse.  Paul Rand had a unique ability to “sell” his abilities to large corporations, and educate them in the merit of graphic design.  Paul Rand’s designs were often called simplistic, but he argued that designs did not need to be “esoteric to be original or exciting.”  Rand also taught design at Yale University.
6. Milton Glaser (born June 26, 1929) is a graphic designer best known for his “I Love New York” logo.  He also founded New York Magazine in 1968 with partner Clay Felker.  He designs a wide variety of things, from book jackets, soup cans, album covers, magazine illustrations and advertisements.  He was honored by President Barrack Obama in 2009, and was awarded the National Medal of Arts.
7. Alexey Brodovitch (1898-1971) was a Russian graphic designer who was most famous for his art direction of Harper’s Bazaar fashion magazine from 1938-1958.  His career began as he was photographing the ballet.  During the nights and weekends away from the ballet, he began to sketch designs for textiles, china, and jewelry.  He built up an impressive portfolio and by the time his work at the ballet was through.  He went on to do freelance work, while working for Athelia’, and eventually opened his own studio, L.’Atelier A.B.  He later went on to teach at the University of the Arts in Pennsylvania.