Maybe you’re considering starting a career in graphic design, maybe you’re in need of graphic design help. Perhaps there is just an interest in learning more about the craft. In any circumstance that brings you upon doing graphic design research, there are a few things you must know.
Like any form of art, there are heroes who have excelled and transformed the graphic design industry in more ways than one. We’ve listed a few of the best graphic designers who are accomplished and inspire future generations.
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Whether graphic designers specialized in brand identity, political posters, or typography, the following designers have changed the way graphic design is portrayed and appreciated in the modern world. Graphic design has been constantly changing for centuries. So, these designers have had a hand in helping bring light to the brilliant industry.
Milton Glaser
Image Credit: Milton Glaser
Milton Glaser is an American graphic designer who has specialized in publications, musical album covers, and posters. As a New York-native, Glaser’s best-known work, is none other than the iconic “I heart NY” logo. In 2009, Glaser was the first-ever designer to receive the presidential award “National Medal of the Arts.”
Carolyn Davidson
Image Credit: Nike
Continuing on to even more iconic logos, Carolyn Davidson had her breakthrough moment in 1971 when she designed the infamous “Nike Swoosh”. Originally, Davidson who was completing her degree in graphic design, sold the Nike logo for only $35, but her connection to the creators of Nike would go on to help her become a successful freelance graphic designer.
Lindon Leader
Image Credit: Leader Creative
Lindon Leader is a graphic designer who specializes in brand identity. While he has many successful brand and logo designs, he is best known for being the mastermind behind the FedEx logo. On his company’s website, LeaderCreative, you can find this philosophy for his design: “While our creative product meets the highest aesthetic standards, we believe the sole purpose of branding is to facilitate the realization of our client’s strategic marketing objectives. “
Lauren Hom
Image Credit: Hom Sweet Hom
Flourishing in her specialty, millennial graphic designer, Lauren Hom has taken reign of typography and has transformed campaigns from Google, McDonalds and even Starbucks with her exquisite lettering skills.
George Lois
Image Credit: Museum of Modern Art
Shortly after the Korean War, George Lois started working in the advertising and promotions department for CBS. While there, he was recruited to help pioneer the first advertising agency. George became known as Papert Koing Lois. Throughout his career in design, George Lois is most known for his work for ESPN, Esquire Mag and USA today.
Stefan Sagmeister
Image Credit: Stefan Sagmeister
Like others on this list, Stefan Sagmeister is an American graphic designer from New York. He specializes in typography and storytelling and he is best known for his work designing album covers. His album covers were made famous from artists like Jay-Z, OK Go, Aerosmith and the Rolling Stones.
Paula Scher
Image Credit: Paula Scher
Paula Scher is a graphic designer, painter, and a teacher of graphic design. Like George Lois, Scher also started at CBS advertising and promotions department, but left for a more creative and fulfilling career in design. Paula Scher has received over 300 awards from international graphic design associations. Her most recognizable work is the Citibank logo.
David Carson
Image Credit: David Carson Design
David Carson is an American graphic designer who excelled in the field of typeface. Carson became popular by sticking true to his beliefs and breaking the rules of graphic design, and ultimately, achieved success at it. He is most known for his work with Armani.
Jonathan Ive
Image Credit: Yanko Design
Also known as Sir Jony Ive, Ive is a successful English designer who is currently the Chief Design Officer at Apple. He also serves as the chancellor at the Royal College of Art in London. Throughout his career, Jonathan Ive is most known for his design work on Apple Products such as the iMac, iPod, iPhone, MacBook Air and iPad.
Dennis Hwang
Image Credit: Logo Download
Dennis Hwang is a Korean-American graphic designer who has worked on many exciting projects over the past 30 years of his career. Most recently, Hwang was one of the designers of the world-breaking app “Pokemon Go.” Dennis is also known for working on the commemorative logos for Google.
Neville Brody
Image Credit: Neville Brody Behance
A typography guru, Neville Brody started working in graphic design in 1976. Brody explored typography, along with Pop Art and Dadaism’s influential designs, to compose the perfect grudge and punk mixture. In 2006, Brody redesigned the Times Newspaper and even created the font “Times Modern.”
Chip Kidd
Image Credit: Notes on Design
A true believer in originality and individuality, Chip Kidd is a graphic designer who has never fallen into a “signature look.” So, Kidd has become known as one of the most famous book cover designers. He created the Jurassic Park logo almost 30 years ago.
Susan Kare
Image Credit: Smithsonian Magazine
Another outstanding woman in graphic design is Susan Kare. In 1981, Kare got hired by Apple to help create user interface fonts and elements. She went on to design element-icon tools that are still used to this day, such as the Lasso, the Grabber, and the Paint Bucket.
Michael Beriut
Image Credit: Michael Bierut Pentagram
A leader in brand identity and editorial design solutions, Michael Beriut has shaped and lead the graphic design world in more ways than one for the past 35 years. Along with serving as the president of the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA), as well as the senior critic of graphic design at the Yale School of Art, Beriut is most famous for designed the logo for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign.
Jonathan Barnbrook
Image Credit: Barnbrook
Thriving in typography and design, Jonathan Barnbrook is an advocate for art as he believes, “design is a weapon for social change.” Other than using design for politics, Barnbrook is most known for his work designing album covers. His most famous album cover is David Bowie’s 2002 album, Heathen.
Cass Deller
Image Credit: Cass Deller
Cass is a graphic designer who also specializes in watercolor and lettering artwork. She loves working in and creating beautiful spaces. “I naturally started using hand lettering in some of my designs and my teachers supported that individuality,” she says. You can find her creating logos, branding materials, and also textile prints, murals, and even gift wrap!
Shaivalini Kumar
Image Credit: Shaivalini Kumar
Copenhagen designer Shaivalini Kumar specializes in visual design, branding, illustration, and typography. Throughout her career, she has collected countless mentions and awards for her work including Photoshop’s 25under25, Google, Adobe Inspire Magazine, Design Influencer at Microsoft’s Surface Pro Launch, and more.
Lucy Litman
Image Credit: Design You Trust
At the age of 24, Lucy had a habit of organizing her food by Pantone color. “I started my #pantoneposts project almost a year ago – initially, it started as a way to clear my mind. I had a frustrating day at work and, at the time, wasn’t feeling very creative, so I came home and arranged a box of fruit loops I had sitting around by color,” Lucia tells Hello Giggles. Since then, she has left a legacy of #pantoneposts for every season, occasion, and, of course, more food.
Alex Trochut
Image Credit: Alex Trochut
Having worked with Nike, Adidas, The Rolling Stones, Katy Perry, BBC, Coca-Cola, Pepsi, and more, Alex has created his own style through pop culture, street culture, fashion, and music. Alex was born in Barcelona and is now located in New York, where he continues to mesmerize with his designs and typography.
Dana Tanamachi
Image Credit: Dana Tanamachi
Dana Tanamachi is a lettering artist and designer based in New York City. She owns Tanamachi Studio, a boutique design studio specializing in custom typography and illustration for editorial, lifestyle, food, and fashion brands. Her clients include Target, Nike, USPS, Penguin Books, Ralph Lauren, Instagram, and West Elm, just to name a few.
Chris Labrooy
Image Credit: Chris Labrooy
Scotland-based designer Chris Labrooy uses 3D design and CGI to create work based on typography, architecture, product design, and visual art. His clients include Apple, Porsche, Nike, Jaguar, AT&T, Citroen, British Airways, Time Magazine, Mcdonalds, T-Mobile, Transport For London, Ted Baker, Target, Prudential Callaway Golf.
No matter the type of design these artists advance in, there is one thing that is uniform through each of them. Consistency. Every one of these artists never stopped designing. They never stopped creating, and most importantly, they never stopped using their skills to tell a story. Throughout their careers, each artist has taken their perspectives on life and turned them into inspiration and ingenuity for design.
