Top 10 Graphic Designers

Although the graphic design may appear to be a new business, it’s actually the contrary.

Graphic design is a field that has grown and changed over the centuries under the guidance of many designers.

In order to commemorate this exciting and fascinating past, we’ve put together the names of 10 notable designers who have played their contributed to creating a graphic design in some way.

From the people that specialize in typesetting, or magazine design, infographic design template, all the way to albums and even political poster designs, everyone has contributed to the field and has shaped the industry in some way through dedication and great designs.

1. David Carson

Affectionately called ‘the Godfather of Grunge,’ David Carson revolutionized the design world by adopting a distinctive, rule-breaking approach to design. His wacky, shredded, and sometimes unreadable layouts are an ongoing source of radical ideas for designers from all over the world.

2. Saul Bass

A well-known name in the field of fashion, Saul Bass is a legend whose work is likely to have been had the pleasure of seen before. Bass established his name in the world of design through his 1950s-era work, designing iconic motion titles for movies like Psycho, The Man with the Golden Arm along with North by Northwest.

Bass was also a skilled logo designer, having created numerous iconic brand names that have an average life span of around 35 years. A lot of his work is still in use today – just look at some of the Kleenex, Girl Scout, or AT&T logos.

3. Stefan Sagmeister

Stefan Sagmeister is an accomplished contemporary designer who has a dazzling list of clients, from The Rolling Stones and HBO to the Guggenheim. Sagmeister’s work is often a blend of sexuality, humor, unconventional, and meticulous detail to create bold, modern design concepts that excite and shake up the design world.

4. Paula Scher

Paula Scher was the first woman to hold a key post at the highly regarded Graphic design company Pentagram and with great reason. Her outstanding portfolio of design had influenced the perception and use of graphic designs in numerous ways, particularly in her technique of using typography as a visual image when she designed the New York Public Theater in the city. Public Theater (pictured below) continues to leave an impact on contemporary design.

5. Michael Bierut

Michael Bierut is often credited for “democratizing design,” thanks to his distinctive and ubiquitous method of graphic design. Bierut set the stage for accessible design, whereby complicated content was made accessible and enjoyable to consume and read with an elegant, clear design.

6. Massimo Vignelli 

Massimo Vignelli is regarded by many to be an influential designer of the previous century. An ‘information architect,’ as he called himself, Vignelli endeavored to condense vast, complex ideas into digestible and easily understood formats by using design. This is visible in his design of the New York City Subway Map, in which he opted for an experimental abstracted design that was extensively debated but proved extremely successful.

7. Milton Glaser

The creator of famous I NY branding, logos for Target and JetBlue as well as the title sequence that opens Mad Men, and poster designs for the musician Bob Dylan, Milton Glaser changed the meaning of “I NY” to create a distinctive timeless design. “You want to move the viewer in a perception so that when they first look at [the design],” Glaser states, “They get the idea because that act between seeing and understanding is critical.”

8. Paul Rand

Paul Rand is a big name in the world of design and is credited with transforming the visual landscape of America post WWII by introducing radical new approaches to logo design, advertising, and design. One of the greatest achievements of Rand during his career in design was the elimination of copywriting from its central role in the design and instead placed it in the same class as design. This suggested that by reducing the quantity of writing and having form and function interplay instead of one dominating the other, the design could be more effective.

9. Alan Fletcher

Awarded the title of the British “father” of design and graphic art, in addition to designing inspiring work of his own, Alan Fletcher changed the perception of design. His bold typography, expressive colors, and strong visual language helped open ways for graphics to become viewed as a crucial aspect of business and not just an added additional.

10. Hermann Zapf

Hermann Zapf changed typography in numerous ways. He was, in the main, the author of the renowned typographic styles Zapf Dingbats, Palatino, and Optima, among other types. He also pioneered the use of computerized typography as a strong advocate of the transition from print-based designs to computer-generated ones. Finally, to top off an already impressive set of awards, He also created an application for typesetting that later went on to be the basis for a number of current software innovations.