The Graphic Design world has many of unsung heroes and visionaries, some have gone mostly under the radar. Their work is regarded as outstanding, iconic, and sometimes just the influence alone is all that’s been felt without the name attached to it. Some designers have shaped the world of design and and pushed the standards of everyone around them.
Will Burtin is a name some might recognize.The German born, American based Designers simple approach and style to complex ideas is what many consider to be the father of modern day “data visualization.” Focusing on the relationship between spatial forms and functions, he says how molecules of a certain shape could be expressed through visual art.
Cipe Pineles, art director and illustrator, is a pioneer of the graphic design industry working on several women’s magazines. Including Seventeen and Charm. The Austrian born designer was the first female designer to become a member of the Art Directors Club in New York, and received the prestigious AIGA Medal in 1996.
Giovanni Pintori, Italian born designer and painter, worked in-house for the Italian typewriter manufacturer Olivetti. He was crucial in defining the Olivetti brand by creating all of the material that helped transform the already well designed, but very practical office equipment into a work of art in its own right.
Bob Noorda, the Dutch born graphic designer, who primarily worked in Milan, is known for creating the iconic signage of the New York subway system. He’s known for helping introduce a Modernist look to advertising posters and corporate logos.
Lora Lamm, a Swiss designer who left for Milan following World War II, has been a designer under the radar for some time. Almost written out of design history, she’s known for creating breathtaking illustrations, exciting layouts, and eye catching typography. Recently in Zurich, at the Museum fur Gestaltung, an exhibition on her works has opened.
Margaret Calvert, British designer and typographer, played an important part in the project which revolutionized the signage for Britain’s road system nearly 60 years ago. The iconic signage is as known, and comparable to the red pillar box or black cab in the British Landscape.
Barney Bubbles, English graphic artist is responsible for designing several album covers including Ian Dury, and Elvis Costello. Designers in the post-punk era took of influence on his work, which is now considered iconic.
The influence of graphic design on a day-to-day basis is unmeasurable. You see it everywhere, but the artists and visionaries of these works go unnoticed to the general public who sees it daily.