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Typographer Graphic Designer Art Director
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H E R B L U B A L I N
As a child, Herb Lubalin had peculiar eating habits, and his mother
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constantly warned him that he would end up as a cockroach salesman if he didn’t eat. Little did she know that he would be among one of the greatest designer of his time. Her words had an ironical truth, as he ended up designing a logo for a cockroach powder manufacturing company, as well as cosmetic ďŹ rms, soft drinks, companies, among others. His success did not end there, as he also went on to establish his own design agency. He may have passed away over 30 years ago, but his legacy still looms large. Herb Lubalin’s designs are still used on many logos, and many people consider his designs as being ahead of their time. He is regarded as one of the greatest typographers who ever graced the earth.
TAB L E O F CONTE NTS
Early Life
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Career Establishment
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Avant Garde
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The U&lc Magazine
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Typography
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Later Life
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Herb Lubalin was born in 1918, and he led a pretty ordinary life until adulthood, when he started developing his art and design prowess. In high school, Lubalin’s only inclination to design was his erotic sketches of “Tarzan’s” characters Tarzan and Jane, which earned him a “dirty” reputation. He was quite a bright student, having garnered 64 points out of a possible 64 points on the entrance examination at Cooper Union in 1935. Herb Lubalin had a hard time trying to find a job after he graduated from Cooper Union in 1939. He performed menial tasks
E A R L Y L I F E
in graphic design firms which helped in honing his
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graphic skills. He first worked as an art director in Deutsch & Shea advertising from 1943 to 1945. After that, he was employed at Fairchild Publications from 1942 to 1943. He then bagged the position of an art director for Reiss advertising from 1943 to 1945, and then moved to Sudler and Hennesey, where he worked for twenty years.
Lubalin’s career took off in 1959, when he revolutionized print advertising by emphasizing on the allowed him to express his creativity and innovation. He worked with publisher Ralph Ginzburg to create the “Eros” magazine, which had gained popularity due to its expression of sexual freedom. Some critics argue that his designs at that time were some of the best that he ever did. However, the magazine’s success was short lived as it was pulled down due to an obscenity case filed against it by the US Postal Service. Lubalin formed his own design firm in 1964, which he named Herb Lubalin, Inc. The exit of “Eros” led to the introduction of “Fact”, a magazine that promoted underground writers who would not be published by top magazines. The budget for running it was quite low, and Lubalin’s typography was restricted to black and white colors, and as little as two typefaces so as to save on costs. However, just like its predecessor, bad luck seemed to follow the magazine, and it was pulled off the shelves due to a suit filed against it by Republican Barry Goldwater.
C A R E E R E S T A B L I S H M E N T
relationship between word and image in his works. In 1962, he established his private practice, which
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The joint effort between Ralph Ginzburg and Lubalin led to the creation of the Avant Garde, which had a successful streak from January 1968 to 1971. The magazine’s audience was mainly the elite. It consisted of erotic content and crude language meant to disapprove of the ills in the society as well as government actions. Its typography involved tight, closely knit letters and words, which were meant to create a unique identity. The magazine’s
A V A N T G A R D E
page cover was not only quite large, it was also high in quality, which allowed Lubalin to display his artistic expressions without limitations. The typography would at times fill up the whole page, a phenomenon that endeared to readers due to its great design impact. The magazine was engaged in controversy as it published the alphabets in form of nude models. As a result, Lubalin was imprisoned due to breaking obscenity laws, and the magazine’s reign had to come to an abrupt end.
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Lubalin’s relentless spirit saw him pioneer yet another magazine referred to as the U&lc (upper and lower case). It provided him with a platform for experimenting his innovation in typography. It also served as a basis for advertising his creative works. The magazine lasted from Typeface Corporation (ITC), and produced 120 issues in its entire duration of publication. Lubalin co-owned the publication together with Ed Rondthaler and Aaron Burns. He served as the art director for the magazine until his demise in 1981. The magazine showcased expressive typography, which endeared it to other designers. It showed images, cartoons, juxtapositions, and illustrations, which were produced by designers supervised by Lubalin. It is estimated that approximately 200,000 copies of the magazine were distributed at its prime. The magazine could not be accessed at news stands like other papers, and one had to subscribe so as to get a copy. This aspect added an aspect of special quality to the magazine.
T H E U & l c M A G G A Z I N E
1970 to 1999. It was a brain child of the International
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T Y P O G R A P H Y 12
Lubalin is among the pioneers of
from the traditional mode of
modern typography, a procedure
spacing letters. Lubalin created
that creates graphic designs on
various fonts such as Serif Gothic,
letters. The term typography refers
Serif Gothic Black, Lubalin Graph,
to the art of arranging letters
Lubalin Graph Demi, Ronda. He
and words so as to make them
also created the Avant Garde
more appealing. The art requires
typeface, which is among the
arranging spaces between letters,
most widely used typeface in
spaces between words, line
the world today. He is credited
length, and creating typefaces.
with the creation of the Mother
Lubalin’s work incorporated
and Child logo alongside Tom
close spacing between letters
Carnase for a magazine that was
and lines, with emphasis on
never published. He also designed
creative typefaces that served to
the Families logo in 1980 and the
draw attention to the message.
The Marriage logo in 1965. The
As a result, the effect on the
logos are very popular today as
message was both creative and
they are simple but clear in their
editorial. His works highlighted
delivery of the intended message.
visual metaphors, a deviation
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L A T E R L I F E 14
At the age of 59, Lubalin stated that he had just
Though he was a soft-spoken man,
completed his apprenticeship. This means that
Lubalin lectured in schools and professional
he considered himself as a work in progress,
organizations all over the continent. Interestingly,
and despite his numerous achievements, he
he provided lectures in his former school,
still thought of himself as being in a learning
Cooper Union. According to Clifford (162), he
process. Though he regarded himself as an
also authored many graphic design articles such
amateur in the typography world, the world
as American Artist, Graphics Today, Popular
did not seem to think so. He bagged numerous
Photography, and Graphics Idea. Additionally,
awards for his skills and creativity. One of them
he taught in several universities such as Syracuse
is the Art Director of the year award from
and Cornell universities. His participation in art
the National Society of Art Directors, which
activities did not end there, as he was involved
recognizes art directors for their commendable
in graphic design organizations such as the Art
performances in their ďŹ elds. He also won two
Directors Club and the American Institute of
honors from the Cooper Union, and an award
Graphic Arts (AIGA).
for professional achievement, which shows that his work was appreciated by people who were not part of the art and design ďŹ eld. In 1969, the Print magazine included him in their list for the greatest graphic designers in the 20th century.
Lubalin manipulated letters and words to bring about meaning, which served to deliver a message and influence people’s perception. He raised typography to the form of art, and forced the world to not only recognize its existence, but to be aware of its usefulness in the literary world. His creativity, imagination, and resourcefulness pushed back design boundaries and showed that everything is possible to determined people. His legacy serves to show that to be an effective designer, all one needs is a typeface and a good design. It is said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and Lubalin would be flattered to know that his typography designs are imitated by aspiring designers as they strive to become a fraction of the man he once was.
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Lubalin raised typography to the form of art, and forced the world to not only recognize its existence, but to be aware of its usefulness in the literary world. His creativity, imagination, and resourcefulness pushed back design boundaries and showed that everything is possible to determined people.
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