Dorothy Hayes was an American graphic designer and educator. Born on December 1, 1935, in Mobile, Alabama, she graduated from Alabama State College. In 1958, she moved to New York to study at the Cooper Union School of Art. In 1967 she earned a degree in graphic design. Regarding her early employment in the design field, she stated:

“I was employed by a well-known broadcasting company and led to believe that I would hold a design position, yet I was never allowed to do anything but non-creative work. I was frankly told that my employment was simply a form of tokenism.”

In an effort to support and advocate for other black designers, she co-curated the 'Black Artists in Graphic Communication' exhibition, showcasing 49 Black graphic designers and artists.

Hayes also served as a professor of art and advertising design at New York Technical College while establishing her own design practice, Dorothy's Door, a commercial design agency.

Let's delve into the life and career of Walter Ballmer, a Swiss graphic designer born in 1923, renowned for his significant contributions to advertising, graphic design, and industrial design, particularly with Olivetti, a distinguished Italian office equipment manufacturer. Ballmer started his career in graphic design at the Kunstgewerbeschule in Basel, where he immersed himself in the discipline from 1940 to 1944. Following a stint in publishing, he made a pivotal move to Milan, Italy, in 1947.

In Milan, Ballmer became an integral part of Studio Boggeri, a thriving graphic design office, leading projects closely associated with Olivetti. Seamlessly transitioning in 1956, he joined Olivetti's advertising department, dedicating his creative expertise to the company until 1981. Guided by a design philosophy characterized by simplicity and clarity, influenced by his Swiss design education, Ballmer significantly contributed to enhancing Olivetti's prominence.

Beyond Olivetti, Ballmer's work has been featured in exhibitions in Italy and abroad, earning him recognition and accolades for his significant contributions to the field of graphic design, particularly in the context of his work for Olivetti.

What are the similarities among these logos? Is it their simplicity? Is it the ease with which you can recognize each one of them? Personally, I can identify them because I know they were all designed by Michael Bierut.

Michael Bierut is a graphic designer born in 1957 in Cleveland, Ohio and lived in Garfield Heights. When he was in the first grade a teacher noticed his drawing skills. His parents later gave him encouragement and registered him in classes at the Cleveland Museum of Art.

By the time he reached junior high school everyone assumed he would be an artist. The turning point was when he was in grade 9 when he was asked to design a poster for his school play called, Wait Until Dark.

“By accident, I happened to find a book in my high school library by a guy named S. Neil Fujita, it was called Aim for a Job in Graphic Design/Art. I opened the book up, and it was like receiving an instruction manual for my future career: it was all right there.”

After he was done with high school, he attended the University of Cincinnati College of Design Architecture and Art. He later received a Bachelor of Science in graphic design.

After he was done with school he worked for a designer called Massimo Vignelli who is a designer known for designing the New York City subway signage. He learned that every single opportunity has the potential to be something that might have some impact on people's daily lives for years to come.

After spending a decade working for Massimo Vignelli, Michael Bierutt transitioned to Pentagram, well-known as the largest leading design consultancy, in 1990. He has been there since. He has contributed to notable brands such as Mastercard, Slack, and MIT Media Labs, among others. Additionally, he has authored a book titled. How To, providing insights into his life and career, and sharing his ongoing design practices.

Hey everyone! I hope the new year is going well so far. Stepping into 2024, I have been eager to dive into talking about designers, artistic movements, and the various design elements that fuel my passion and inspiration in the field. As highlighted in my bio, this drives me to both share insights and learn from others.

This venture will not only contribute to the improvement of my understanding in the design field but also help in refining my writing skills. Moreover, it involves embarking on a creative exploration. My objective is to create motion graphics within the dynamic realm of design work and share images from other graphic designers to offer valuable insights.

If you have any suggestions or ideas, I would love to hear them—your thoughts and contributions would be appreciated. I intend to make these posts a monthly occurrence to maintain a more active presence on my page so stay tuned