"Make a life in your work."

 

     

Paula  Scher!   

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  BASICS.

• Paula Scher. Known as the “master conjurer of the instantly familiar.”

• American graphic designer, painter, art educator, author, and mentor.

• Born October 6, 1948 
  Washington, D.C., U.S.

•  "Principal at the New York office of the Pentagram design consultancy, where she has developed identity and branding systems, promotional materials, environmental graphics, packaging and publication designs for a broad range of clients that includes, among others, Bloomberg, Microsoft, Bausch + Lomb, Coca-Cola, Shake Shack, the Museum of Modern Art, the Sundance Institute, the High Line, Jazz at Lincoln Center, the Metropolitan Opera, the New York City Ballet, the New York Philharmonic, the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paula_Scher

•  Has received over 300 design awards. Most prominent being the American Institute of Graphic Design (AIGA), The Type Directors Club (NY), the New York Art Directors Club, and the Package Design Council.

• Her work is exhibited all over the world. 

• Famous for, among other artistic achievements, "large-scale paintings of  maps, covered with dense hand-painted labeling and information." (wiki, Paula Scher)         

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 SCHER'S DESIGN STYLE:

• Post-modern.                                                                             
• Playful.
• Decorative. 
• Influenced by Art Nouveau and Constructivism.
• Powerful.
• Loud.
• Instinctive.
• Expressive.
• Political.
• Fun.
• illustrative. 
• Smart.
• Accessible.

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 INTERESTING & FUN.

• In Scher's generation, taking art classes wasn't  "cool" in high school. But she took classes anyway at Corcoran College of Art + Design. She even made posters for all the school dances and events. Later, she would become the school publicity chairman(Her first job as artistic director).

• Originally wanted to paint but felt she didn't draw well. Later, she would find her creative calling through Graphic design.

• Seymour Chwast was an important mentor and, ultimately, her husband.

• Scher began her career working for Random House as a layout artist for children’s books. She also worked in the promotions department for CBS Records.

• Scher kept exploring new ways of being creative. "I knocked my finger out of joint once when I took a metals class, and I rolled my finger through a printing press. (laughing) It seemed like I wasn’t good at anything, but then, in my junior year, I discovered graphic design."http://thegreatdiscontent.com/interview/paula-scher

• Her father invented a device that is now based on Google Maps that he sold to the government. 

• Scher designs to the sounds of jazz and old old black and white films.

• Loves artichokes. "I like them fried; I like them boiled; I like them whole with a little bit of butter; I like them sliced into a salad after they’re cooked; I like them with various meats and fish. They’re amazing."  http://thegreatdiscontent.com/interview/paula-scher

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WHAT I LIKE ABOUT SCHER.

• She kept going. Didn't let her fears or insecurities stop her.
• She has fun with her work. Knows how to play and explore within her work.
• Determined.
• Pushes limit.
• Questions.
• Challenges herself and the world of design.
• REBEL.
• Loves typography.
• Ethics and morality are important in her work and life.

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SCHERS WORDS OF WISDOM:

“If I get up every day with the optimism that I have

 the capacity for growth, then that’s 

success for me.”

“It took me a few seconds to draw it, 

but it took me 34 years to learn

 how to draw it in a few seconds.”

“Be culturally literate, because if you don't have

 any understanding of the world 

you live in and the culture you live in, 

you're not going to express

 anything to anybody else.”

“The best way to accomplish serious design ... 

is to be totally and completely 

unqualified for the job.”

“Words have meaning, 

type has spirit.”

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   INSPIRATION & RESOURCES

http://www.sjeandesign.com/2017/03/08/paula-scher/

https://jemmaeagleson.github.io/PAULA-SCHER/Essay.html

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 It’s not about career, it’s not about a job - it’s about a life choice that you’ve made, and how you can make a life in your work.

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OnCreativity: 

Paula Scher interview, part 1

Dec 6, 2018

                                                                                       

beyond tellerrand:

Life Lessons from the Field – Paula Scher 

Nov 13, 2017

 

Paula Scher on Design

Oct 25, 2013

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SOURCES

http://thegreatdiscontent.com/interview/paula-scher

https://www.designweek.co.uk/issues/25-november-1-december-2019/paula-scher-profile/

https://www.pentagram.com/about/paula-scher

https://www.inspiringquotes.us/author/2724-paula-scher

https://medium.com/@rweikart/communication-design-studio-2-paula-scher-biography-fe0aabf5e548

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paula_Scher#:~:text=Scher%20developed%20a%20typographic%20solution,of%20form%20on%20her%20works.

Youtube

https://www.madamearchitect.org/interviews/2020/7/16/paula-scher