Paula Scher “Type is image” By Laura Cynkar

On Paula… “She’s uncompromising.” -Susan Avarde, managing director of branding for Citigroup She’s really, really eclectic. She only cares about making things that are good.” -Michael Bierut, partner at Pentagram I’ve learned a lot from Paula about the advantage of being blunt and cutting to the chase.” -Michael Bierut, partner at Pentagram

Career Paula was educated at the Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia. Her graphic design career began as a record cover art director for Atlantic and CBS records in the 1970s. This continued into the 1980’s and in 1984 she co-founded Koppel and Scher where she worked for 7 years. In 1991, she joined the team as a principal at Pentagram where she has received most of her recognition over the years.

Paula’s Style As a talented typographer, Paula is widely recognized for the way she uses type as an illustration in her designs. She has been characterized as an enthusiast of the retro style, and uses the bold approach of historical design as a way to appeal to a modern audience. Public Theater sign

Most of Paula’s graphic work has involved developing identity and branding systems, promotional materials, environmental graphics, packaging and publication designs. Her list of clients include The New York Times Magazine, the American Museum of Natural History, the Asia Society, the Brooklyn Museum of Art, Phillips-Van Heusen, Anne Klein,Tiffany and Co., Citigroup, 3Com, Herman Miller, Metropolis and the New York Botanical Garden.

In 1970, Paula took her portfolio to him at Push Pin studios. One of Paula’s influences and most-admired artists is Seymour Chwast, illustrator and fellow graphic designer. In 1970, Paula took her portfolio to him at Push Pin studios. The two married in 1973 and now live in a studio right around the corner from Pentagram. Significant Aside By Seymour Chwast

Achievements In 1996, Paula’s innovative and culturally influential identity for the Public Theater won the Beacon Award for integrated corporate design strategy. She has also received hundreds of other design awards which include 4 Grammy nominations from the National Association of Recording Arts and Sciences. Paula was named to The Art Directors Club Hall of Fame in 1998. In 2000, Ms. Scher received the Chrysler Award for “Innovation in Design” and in 2001 she received the title of Doctor of Fine Arts Honoris Causa from the Corcoran College of Art and Design.

Paula has served on the board of the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) and was president from 1998-2000. She has received the industry’s highest honors when she was awarded the AIGA Medal in 2001 for “distinguished achievements and contributions to the field.” Her design work has been displayed all over the country from The Museum of Modern Art in New York to the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. to the Bibliotheque nationale de France in Paris. Sharing her knowledge and expertise with others, Paula has taught for over 19 years at the School of Visual Arts in New York.

“Iconic, smart and unabashedly populist, her images have entered into the American vernacular.” -www.aiga.org

Examples of her motto “Type as Illustration”

Current projects Recently, Paula has been featured as of Hewlett-Packard’s launch of its new website “designed to inspire and empower customers with free customizable, printable content.” She has designed 5 business templates for this site which also includes an interview with her. When speaking on building a successful brand identity Paula states, “The characteristic that matters for every good brand is that you look like you made your decisions based on who you are for specific reasons, not that they were accidental.”

Not just a commerical artist Her most current artwork on display is not what you’d expect. As a side project, Paula has started painting intricate maps, colorful and full of words. These paintings are currently on display in the Maya Stendhall Gallery and include 12 detailed painted maps of the United States, South America, Africa, Japan and the world.

Detailed interview with Paula about her works and creative process can be found at http://www.adobe.com/designcenter/dialogbox/type_is_image.html

“The thing that’s most to be feared is doing the same thing over and over again.” -Paula Scher

References www.nytimes.com/2006/01/12/garden/12paula.html http://www.adobe.com/designcenter/dialogbox/type_is_image.html http://www.aiga.org/content.cfm/medalist-paulascher http://blog.pentagram.com/2007/08/paula-scher-designs-free-templ.php http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/109/open_design-wordsmith.html http://www.mayastendhalgallery.com/repetitions_bios_pscher.html http://www.metropolismag.com/cda/story.php?artid=1632