Incomplet Design History

Louise Jefferson was a graphic designer, photographer, illustrator, and civil rights activist. Born in Washington, DC, Jefferson spent much of her career in Harlem, New York. It was there that she became the first female African-American art director in publishing. While working as the art director for the Friendship Press, she also did freelance work for civil rights publications such as Opportun...

Elaine Lustig Cohen got an unconventional start as a graphic designer. After deciding not to pursue a career in art education, she began working as an assistant to her first husband, noted modernist designer Alvin Lustig. Her early work in the industry was far from glamorous, as she was mostly doing paste-up and assembling Alvin’s designs. She described her position as more of an “office slave”. A...

Deborah Sussman is known as a leader of environmental graphic design, a relatively new field at the time that had a surprising number of women leading the charge. Sussman had a passion for the arts and attended some of the finest art and design institutions in the nation, including the Black Mountain College, the Institute of Design in Chicago, and Bard College in NYC. Sussman interned at the Eame...

Tomoko Miho was a Japanese-American graphic and industrial designer. Born Tomoko Kawakami in 1931 in Los Angeles, California, she learned her first design principles from the family flower business. Tomoko lived in LA until her family was forcibly interned in 1942. The Kawakami family spent three years of their lives imprisoned without reason or evidence at the Gila River War Relocation Center. Li...

Mary Blair was a fine artist, commercial artist, concept artist, and Disney Imagineer. After graduating from Chouinard and marrying Lee Blair, Mary was set to build a career as a regionalist watercolor painter like her husband. Due to World War 2, fine art was not working out, and the two entered the world of commercial art and animation. Both landed positions at Ub Iwerks Studio. In 1940, Blair j...

Bea Feitler was a graphic designer, art director, educator, and a mentor to young professionals. Originally from Brazil, Feitler eventually found her home in New York City and made a name for herself in the magazine industry. Early on in her career she was named co-art director of Harper’s Bazaar along with Ruth Ansel—both having served as graphic designers under art director Marvin Israel (1924–8...

Varvara Stepanova was a leader of the constructivist movement and co-author of the constructivist manifesto. Described as “a frenzied artist,” she designed books, magazines, posters, advertisements, as well as textiles, clothing, and costumes. On top of that, she was an author and poet. Her design style and aesthetic was avant garde, modern, and often characterized by simplicity and geometric form...