april greiman
timeline
Born
1970
Returns to school and pu first computer
CalArts poster
Graduate from KCAI 1979
1984
1982
1948 Begins at Basel School of Design in Switzerland
Poster design for 1984 LA Olympic Games
rchases
Invited to design and present her own artwork in Drawn Quarterly issue #133 1986
Present Working and exhibiting “Made in Space�
early life
April Greiman was born in New York City. Her education includes several prestigious art schools. Greiman has studied at the Kansas City Art Institute. She additionally has studied at the General Arts Trade School in Basel, Switzerland. It was at this school where Greiman learned her sense for typography.
Greiman additionally has moved on to practice in the professional world with her own design firm. In 1982, Greiman was made the director for the Visual Communication program at CalArts. Some of Greiman’s interest in this school was imbedded in her interest for the school’s electronic studios, which did not yet have an overlap with digital design.
Vertigo Branding, 1979
Greiman has been a pioneer of the use of digital mediums in graphic design field. Her experimentation with digital design has paved the way for how the design profession still creates designs. Greiman is quoted has noted that,
“The computer is just another pencil”. This quote very simply emphasizes the strong influence that the
digital platform has made on how graphic design is now approached. Greiman additionally says, “What we are discovering is a new texture, a new design language, a new landscape in communications. As people become empowered with this tool we’ll see terrible things and wonderful things.” This quotation from April Greiman
emphasizes how digital design has opened up new possibilities but that it, at the time, was very experimental and an extremely new concept.
early works Greiman has been a pioneer of the use of digital mediums in graphic design field. Her experimentation with digital design has paved the way for how the design profession still creates designs. Greiman’s earliest works were her springboard into the graphic design world. Several of her poster designs gained her notability in the art world. It was Greiman’s design “Does It Make Sense?” which truly began her career as a notable designer. This design for Design Quarterly 133 pushed the envelope for what was considered to be the role of the designer.
Sci-Arc Poster, 1979
Wet Magazine Cover Sept./Oct. 1979
My Turn, Your Turn,
Does It Make Sense, 1989
videography
One digital medium which has been highly influential in Greiman’s designs is videography. She has used video in many different ways for her designs. A common use of video for Greiman is the capture of still images from motion sources. She begins to arrange these stills in a way as to create the implication of motion over time while clearly being still images.
videography A notable feature of Greiman’s still images is her attention to time. She addresses time in multiple different ways in her works. Some works show a point driven approach to time. Some of Greiman’s work conversely shows a more human approach to time. Time is seen by the person as flowing and unbroken Think About What You Think AboutPoster, 2009
Poster
Graphic Design in America, 1990
additional works
additional works
CalArts Poster, 1979
Los Angeles 1984 Olympics, 1982
Show Poster, 2010
Snow White + the Seven Pixels, 1986
Works Consulted “April Greiman : Design Is History.” April Greiman : Design Is History. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Mar. 2015. “April Greiman.” April Greiman. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Mar. 2015. Greiman, April, and Aris Janigian. Something from Nothing. Crans-Près-Céligny: RotoVision, 2001. Print. Greiman, April. Hybrid Imagery: The Fusion of Technology and Graphic Design. New York: Watson-Guptill, 1990. Print.