25 Iconic Graphic Designers of All Generation
Want to know the most famous graphic designers behind best works of all time? Then here’s my list of 25 iconic graphic designers.
Many reputable designers have contributed to the evolution of the graphic design industry over time.
Some of them are typographers, magazine and album cover designers, and political poster artists who left their mark on the world.
Who is the famous graphic designer?
Actually, there are hundreds of graphic designers all over the world, and many of them can be on the top 1 of my list.
However, since we have different preferences as creatives, I include the top 25 most popular graphic designers of all generations.
These graphic designers are all experts in different field and category, such as typography, logo design, poster and magazine design, etc.
They all made a difference, and while some have passed, their designs live on as a legacy to the industry.
Whether you’re a professional designer or a beginner, it is important to familiarize yourself with these graphic designer names.
By observing and studying their work, you’ll be able to learn their principles and disciplines, which you can then apply to your career as well.
From the past generation until the present and definitely until the next generation, their names and designs will never be forgotten.
Famous graphic designers like Michael Bierut and Josef Muller-Brockmann have published books that will undoubtedly benefit any creative.
You can also check out my other article in which I featured the collection of the best graphic design books.
So without further ado, let’s all be amazed and inspired by the lives and works of the most famous graphic designers of all time.
25 Famous Graphic Designers
- Michael Bierut
- Stefan Sagmeister
- Chip Kidd
- Massimo Vignelli
- Herb Lubalin
- Alexey Brodovitch
- Ladislav Sutnar
- David Carson
- Max Miedinger
- Saul Bass
- Susan Kare
- April Greiman
- Ivan Chermayeff
- John Maeda
- Hermann Zapf
- Lester Beall
- Claude Garamond
- Jan Tschichold
- William Golden
- Jacqueline Casey
- Cipe Pineles
- Abram Games
- Armin Hofman
- Josef Muller-Brockmann
- Seymour Chwast
Although some of them have passed away, their contributions to the design industry have remained and served as an inspiration to a new generation of designers.
1. Michael Bierut
A New York-based graphic designer, design critic, and educator who is well-known for being one of the best designers of all time is Michael Bierut.
He uses a distinctive and all-encompassing approach to graphic design.
Bierut pioneered the accessible design, which simplifies difficult-to-understand text and makes it more appealing.
He studied graphic design and graduated as summa cum laude at the University of Cincinnati’s College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning.
He is a senior critic in graphic design at the Yale School of Art and a lecturer in design and management at the Yale School of Management.
2. Stefan Sagmeister
Another iconic and most famous Australian graphic designer, storyteller, and typographer is Stefan Sagmeister.
A famous graphic designer who uses humor and sexuality in his designs.
He is also a New York-based creative professional and is the founder and owner of Sagmeister Inc.
Stefan, 59, is a contemporary graphic designer who has worked with HBO, The Rolling Stones, and the Guggenheim Museum.
It is Sagmeister’s work that excites and disturbs the design industry with comedy, sexuality, unconventionality, and meticulous detail.
3. Chip Kidd
Aside from being a professional designer, Chip Kidd is also a book designer, author, editor, lecturer, and musician based in America.
A well-known graphic designer who specializes in book cover design.
One of the most consistent characteristics of Kidd’s style is the fact that his book covers don’t carry one signature look.
A “revolution in the art of American book packaging” is said to have started with him.
As a lifelong fan of comic books, he not only wrote for DC Comics but also designed their covers.
4. Massimo Vignelli
Although Massimo Vignelli passed away in 2014, his image still remains as one of the best personalities in the design industry.
The popular designer behind the subway map of the city of New York.
He is an Italian designer who worked in a number of areas, including packaging, housewares, furniture, public signage, and showroom design.
Together with his wife, Lella Vignelli, they established Vignelli Associates, which is a design firm in New York City.
They were firmly rooted in the modernist movement and made use of simple geometric shapes and typography.
As one of the most famous graphic designers of the 20th-century, their work includes everything from graphic design to corporate identity to architecture and interiors.
5. Herb Lubalin
In collaboration with Ralph Ginzburg, Herb Lubalin designed three of Ginzburg’s magazines — Eros, Fact, and Avant Garde.
A famous designer who created the ITC Avant Garde typeface.
He is an American graphic designer and was assigned to be responsible for the creative visual beauty of Ginzburg’s magazine publications.
The ITC Avant Garde font that he designed became very popular and it can be widely seen in famous logos created in the 1990s to 2000s.
His most notable works include the creation of the International Typographic Corporation and the typographic journal U & L.C.
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