Designher Magazine by Sarah Hamilton

designher Women in Graphic Design • Spring 2019

Women at the Drawing Board

By Alice Rawsthorne • Page 8

Spotlight On... Jessica Hische By Katy Hale • Page 12

The Black Woman is God ASSEMBLY OF THE GODS March 3 - April 2, 2019 ASHARWA EKUNDAYO GALLERY 480 23rd Street, Oakland CA 94612 • 510.604.2748

Lukaza Branfman-Verissimo, Navigating the Diaspora. 28” x 19” digital photography, 2016, made in collaboration with Shushan Tesfuzigta and Yesenia Iara

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Sarah Hamilton A Word From the Editor

Multiple Authors From Our Readers

“Design isn’t finished until somebody is using it.” – Brenda Laurel

In This Issue

Multiple Authors tl;dr

Alice Rawsthorne Women at the Drawing Board

Katy Hale Spotlight On...Jessica Hische

Designher Magazine • Spring 2019 Issue 3

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Design is intelligence made visible.â&#x20AC;? - Alina Wheeler

A Word From the Editor

Designher Magazine â&#x20AC;˘ Spring 2019 Issue

ello! Thanks for taking a chance and picking up this magazine. Designher is a publication that celebrates and shines a light on the accomplishments of women in graphic design. Design, like most other professional fields, has been dominated by men for decades. However, great strides are being made toward equal representation, and this is cause for celebration. As a female design student, I wanted a place where I could find inspiration and see role models who I can relate to. Despite women dominating design education programs, there is a distinct pay gap between men and women designers, and women are far less represented in leadership roles. Designher seeks to inspire aspiring women designers by featuring the work of prominent women in the industry. We will also examine the unique issues female designers face when it comes to representation and inclusion. Thanks to all the featured artists and designers in this issue, and to all the amazing women in my life who show me there is power in femininity. Lastly, I want to encourage comments and feedback, we love to hear from our readers. Enjoy!

Sarah Hamilton Editor In Chief, Designher Magazine

Photo by Lily Layman

Women in Graphic Design • Spring 2019

“If it looks right, it is right.” - Dorothy Draper

designher Editor in Chief: Sarah Hamilton Culture Editor: Debra Adams Managing Editor: David Brindley Executive Editor Digital: Dan Gilgoff Executive Editor Print: John Hoeffel Director of Photography: Sarah Leen Executive Editor Text: David Lindsey Creative Director: Emmet Smith News Editor: Victoria Jaggard Assistant News Editor: Natasha Daly Staff Writers: Nadia Drake, Roberta Draper, Cynthia Gorney, Rachael Bale Senior Photo Editor: Kathy Moran Photo Editors: Mallory Benedict, Jessica Heimsath Associate Photo Editors: Adriana Coakley, Julie Hau, Dominique Hildebrand, Catherine Saba Assistant Photo Editors: Kaya Lee Berne, Ellie Ashley, Kaitlyn Montoya Staff Photographers: Rebecca Hale, Sidney Barnett, Mary Thiessen Photo Engineer: Tanya O’Brien

Deputy Managing Editor: Amy Kolczak Research Director: Alice S. Jones Copy Editors: Preeti Aroon, Cindy Leitner, Mary Beth Oelkers-Keegan Researchers: Elizabeth S. Atalay, Taryn L. Salinas, Heidi Schultz, Brad Scriber Assistant to Editor in Chief: Joanna Wolfkill Business Operations: Francesca DeLiberis, Veronica Kresse, Emma Safford, Edwina Sakyi Finance: Jennifer Liu, Jeannette Swain; Nikisha Long; Jocelyn Buckner, Klarissa Tan, Abigail Waldron Senior Director of Communications: Anna Dylan Communications Specialist: Leah Jereb Distribution: James Anderson, Sakshi Vasishth

Designher Magazine • Spring 2019 Issue

Design Director: Michaela Tribble Senior Design Editors: Elaine H. Bradley, Marianne Seregi Production Manager: Sandy Owatverot-Nuzzo Associate Design Editors: Nicole Thompson, Kaila Bradshaw Senior Art Director: Heather Tomas

Senior Graphics Editors: Lindsay Holder, Francesca Villarreal, Gracie Willis, Lorelei Palmer, Alissa Ford Graphics Editor: Riley Conley Lead Associate Graphics Editor: Candace Ross Associate Graphics Editors: Taylor Maggiacomo, Claire Clark, Soren Walljasper Design Researcher: Ryan Williams

“Every great design begins with an even better story.” - Lorinda Mamo

From Our Readers

feedback on our Fall 2018 issue

Designher Magazine • Spring 2019 Issue

f you truly want to change the behavioral patterns and mindset around the value of design and designers, you will need to elevate your strategic thinking and assessment beyond women. While statistically, and unfortunately, the gap in gender pay may exist, that is merely an effect of the cause, which is the devaluation of design within most industries. It is my contention that in order to truly impact this epidemic, we must reposition and redefine, What a designer is? How design fits into business and society? What I’ve learned after nearly a decade is the common perception surrounding design as it pertains to business, is that design is a necessity that should be acquired at the lowest possible cost. When we think about how businesses go about hiring lawyers or accountants however, they often spare no expense at hiring top tier firms or individuals at a premium cost, regardless of gender. This identifies a significant disconnect between businesses and organizations not understanding the value of design or a designer. Fundamentally, design is not thought about as a vital function within the typical business structure. This is reflected by a vast number of poorly executed brands you see throughout markets. – Lawrence Schau, Pittsburgh PA

eople should be paid for the work they perform. Paying less for reasons of gender or ethnicity is wrong and should be illegal.

To support the argument, there are qualitative and quantitative facts - EVIDENCE - that not only shows the gaps, but displays the hardships this inequality injects. It’s harder to argue against the facts, but if a business or industry doesn’t do what’s right on their own, making legislative change can be hard, despite the facts (some still dismiss Science in this day and age if you can believe it!). – Michael Kotowski, Denver CO

ot sure where you folks work. Women designers have always made just as much as the men everyplace I have ever worked... sometimes more. Been doing this for 35 years. Salaries have apparently been based on talent and experience---not gender. Crazy idea, huh? The majority of my bosses have been women, too. – Dan Shaw, Jacksonville, WY

would like to be in by saying that I am for pay equality, that being said I have issues with the stats that are being presentation here. Women were brought into the workforce, as school teachers primarily, to help reduced the cost of the public school system. So the driving factors in moving women into the workforce was the fact that they would work for less. According to the study from by Anne-Marie Slaughter, when you account for the different career choice, including child reading and care of a family member.

The reason for this is that someone may take a job that allows more flexibility when it comes to their home life and they may choose a job with less responsibility and subsequently less pay. As women are typically the care gives in our society they assume this role. Unfortunately the sources that I could find did not account race into these studies. – Alexis Farmer, Miami FL

he gender wage-gap does not exist. What most people describe when they discuss the topic is the earning-gap, which seems like a semantic change but actually deal with the basic accusation of sexism being the reason for the gap. Your analysis is focused on biases, which are not measurable and therefore can’t be refuted. Your conclusions are based on that understanding that does not correlate to behavior and doesn’t take into account all the parameters that can form a complete picture of the situation. Your arguments are in practice sexist, as they take away the determination, decisions, and behavior of women in the workplace and don’t allow them your support in being able to tackle challenges on their own that will remove the fairness of the old law. Something being old does not negate its relevance. Adding too much and defining something too much can also harm the fairness you want to achieve. – Cooper Tollman, Los Angeles CA

a condensed version of the magazine

Pet Peeves of Graphic Designers By Sarah Hamilton • • • • • • • •

Comic Sans Bad Leading TOO MANY FONTS Orphans & Widows Vague feedback Orphans & Widows Glitchy programs Unorganized layers

The Top Ten Most Popular Google Fonts, In Order

Anxy: The Masculinity Issue

Celebrating Söre Popitz, the Bauhas’ Only Known Woman Graphic Designer

By AIGA Eye on Design

We’re obessed with Anxy, a beautifully designed new that deals with different aspects of mental health each issue. The most recent issue asks: What does it mean to be masculine? How does masculinity influence our sense of self and the culture around us?

7 Habits of Highly Effective Graphic Designers

Equality at the world’s biggest design conferences By AIGA Eye on Design Across all the speakers, when looking at how many spoke on stage alone rather than with partners or in groups, 36% were women and 64% were men. We found that men are more often given a stage independently, whereas women are more likely to speak on stage in pairs or in groups that include men as well as other women.

Born Irmgard Sörensen in 1896, Popitz is the only known woman to have pursued a career in graphics after studying at the Bauhaus. She passed away in 1993 at 97 years-old; her life encompassed nearly the entirety of the 20th century. And when she first began freelancing in the ’20s, it was almost unheard of for a woman to work in graphic design. Through a unique set of circumstances, Popitz slipped through a crack and into the field of commercial arts, learning her craft from the originators of German Modernism, and going on to pursue her own career.

Roboto

Open Sans

Lato

Slabo 27px

Oswald

Roboto Condensed

Source Sans Pro

Montserrat

Raleway

“We take invisible ideas and make them visible. That’s our job.” - Debbie Millman

tl;dr

10. PT Sans

By Roberto Blake 1.

Prioritize Good Communication

To Designers of Color

Understand Selling Psychology

Are Prepared for Success

What Does #MeToo Gain by Winning “Brand of the Year?”

Have Established Processes for their Work

By Billie Muraben

Learn New Things Quickly and Often

Empathize With Others

Have a Positive and Proactive Attitude

“For a designer of color embarking on their first big design job, I’d say take a deep breath. Some well-meaning colleagues will say something that will make your head explode, but step back instead and try to turn it into a teaching moment (as corny as that sounds). Make sure to pay it forward and mentor the designers of color you meet as you move up. Teach. Organize. Help.”

From Gail Anderson Designher Magazine • Spring 2019 Issue

The School of Visual Art’s Masters in Branding Program announces its second annual “Brand of the Year:” the #MeToo movement, founded by Tarana Burke in 2006 (last year the honor went to the “pussyhat”). The press release regarding the announcement states that “#MeToo, which began as a grassroots movement, has now circled the globe to unite people behind one cry and cause. This is the highest calling of branding: to bring people together for the benefit of humanity.”

“Great designs are made by excellent use of white space and plenty of it.” - Ellen Lupton

Women at the Drawing Board

Designher Magazine • Spring 2019 Issue

By Alice Rawsthorn

t started a month ago when I was asked to compile a list of 20 designers who will influence design in the next decade with Paola Antonelli, senior design curator at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. After weeks of emailing ideas to and fro, the list was nearing completion and we scoured it for possible omissions. One worry was whether we had included designers from enough disciplines, especially the new ones, that will be increasingly important in the future. Another concern was geography. Were there too many designers from Western Europe and North America? And not enough from emerging design centers in Eastern

Europe, Africa, Asia and Latin America? Though we soon realized that we didn’t need to worry about one issue, which has traditionally bedeviled such lists. There was no shortage of women. Our list was equally balanced between the sexes. No surprise there, you may think. Why should the gender split in design be different to the rest of the global population? But it has been. How many female designers do you see in design history books? Not many. Design has been a man’s world since the Industrial Revolution. Even in the 20th century, the few successful women tended to work with male collaborators,

Photo courtesy Rhode Island School of Design

Netherlands. Women also outnumber men in many professional organizations, including the American Institute of Graphic Arts, where they have done so for 15 years. Another advance is that female designers are no longer overshadowed by male partners. Tony Dunne and Fiona Raby of Dunne & Raby are treated as equals, as are Nipa Doshi and Jonathan Levien of Doshi Levien. There are also examples of couples working under the woman’s name, rather than the man’s, as Wieki Somers and Dylan van den Berg do at Studio Wieki Somers. A few women designers

Designher Magazine • Spring 2019 Issue

who usually overshadowed them. Take Lilly Reich, the principal designer of most of the furniture routinely attributed to Mies Van Der Rohe. Or Charlotte Perriand, who was relegated to a similar supporting role with Le Corbusier and her lover Edouard Jeanneret. The same fate befell Ray Eames, wife of the more famous Charles. Have things changed? Yes and no. One significant shift is in numbers. Most top design schools now have a majority of female students — 68 percent at the Rhode Island School of Design in the United States and 54 percent at Design Academy Eindhoven in the

“Practice safe design; use a concept.” - Petrula Vrontikis Designher Magazine • Spring 2019 Issue

Murial Cooper, photo courtesy Marie Cosindas

have even secured influential roles with powerful manufacturers, including Hella Jongerius at Vitra and Patricia Urquiola at Moroso. But most of the designers who win commissions from those companies are male. The same applies to the AIGA’s highest profile members. The only woman except Ms. Jongerius among the 22 designers or design teams to be listed on Vitra’s Website for designing its office furniture is Ray Eames, who died in 1988. Why do so few women reach the top of design? The short answer is the same lack of self-belief and entitlement that dogs them in every other profession, combined with opposition from those who commission the

majority of design projects, most of whom are men. The graphic designer Paula Scher once described this as the “Why did I get the woman?” syndrome. “There’s no question that design has been a boys’ club, I am still often the only female around the table,” said Ilse Crawford, founder of the Studioilse design group and a head tutor at Eindhoven. “As in all professions, it’s the hours you put in during your 30s and 40s that really propel you forward. Design projects run on tight, often changeable timelines. It is not a 9-to-5 job. If women have children and unless they are in super-supportive relationships, they are on the back foot here.”

There’s no question that design has been a boy’s club. A defining quality of these new disciplines — and the evolution of older ones — is collaboration, both between individuals and by fusing elements of different fields, something that women tend to do well. “I am personally very inspired by Julia Kristeva and other feminist critical theorists, who are all about creativity at the margins and combining leftover things in different ways,” Ms. Cottam said. “In my case, that’s design, political theory and new forms of business.” Equally encouraging is that although most of the female designers over the age of 35 with whom I discussed this issue endorsed Ms. Crawford’s “boys’ club” theory (for the record, every male designer looked blank) some younger ones did not. “I have honestly never consciously felt that being female was an advantage or disadvantage within design,” Ms. Pilloton, 29, said. “Does that make me sound like an unaware spoiled brat reaping the benefits of what former generations endured?” Not necessarily. Isn’t it what her predecessors wanted? ♦

“True originality consists not in a new manner but in a new vision.” - Edith Wharton

Such obstacles are as boringly intractable in design as everywhere else. So why are there so many women on Ms. Antonelli’s and my list? Was it solely because, consciously or not, we wanted to support younger women? Possibly, although there are also encouraging signs that female designers may fare better in future. One is that more women are becoming gatekeepers as they rise to powerful positions in other industries. They may be more open to commissioning female designers, as, in fairness, may the next generation of male gatekeepers. Another factor is that design is expanding into new areas in response to advances in science and technology and social and economic changes. Historically women have thrived on new turf where there are no male custodians and they are free to invent their own ways of working, as Muriel Cooper did as a pioneer of digital design during the 1970s and 1980s. As our list is focused on the future, many of our chosen designers work in these fledgling fields. Had we stuck to traditional areas, such as graphics or product design, the gender balance may have been different. Our choices include lots of smart men, but also women, like Neri Oxman and Daisy Ginsberg, who are working on the frontier of design and science, and the pioneering social designers Hilary Cottam and Emily Pilloton.

Designher Magazine • Spring 2019 Issue

Students in class at Rhode Island School of Design 11

Designher Magazine â&#x20AC;˘ Spring 2019 Issue

Photo Courtesy Edyta Szyszlo

“Waste is a design flaw.” - Kate Krebs

Spotlight On… Jessica Hische Jessica Hische takes lettering, illustrating, and type design to a whole new level with her fun, bold designs. She has a portfolio that includes greeting cards for Papyrus, book covers for publishing house Penguin Books, and print advertisements for Starbucks; Jessica has certainly found her niche in the graphic design world. She has also been voted one of Forbes Magazine “30 under 30” in art and design, one of 25 Emerging Artists by STEP Magazine, and a “Person to Watch” by GDUSA. In 2009 Jessica started the Daily Drop Cap in which she showcases a new hand-drawn illustrative letter every day. Today Jessica splits her time between Brooklyn and San Francisco (where she now calls home). And to top it all off, it’s where she set up a collaborative studio and workshop space for other creatives to utilize, learn, and grow. Jessica is a self-proclaimed “serious over-sharer” and lucky for us, she shared quite a bit about her start in design, growing into her career, and becoming an expert in her industry. Interview by Katy Hale

Due to untimely circumstances, the studio unfortunately cut your hours. But, ultimately, this led you to a job with one of your heroes! Tell us how you ended up working alongside one of your idols and how you overcame this career obstacle. When the studio cut my hours, I was disappointed but ultimately saw it as an op-

portunity to do more freelance editorial illustration and design. I also picked up a teaching gig at Philadelphia University. Philly is a pretty inexpensive city (especially at the time), so it’s a bit of a freelancer’s paradise. I put together a promo to send to magazines and agencies that might hire me for illustration work, but I also sent it to a couple of my idols, including Louise Fili. When Louise emailed about coming in for an interview, I was shocked—in no way did I think that my little promo might turn into a job offer. I hadn’t planned on packing up my bags and moving to NYC for a full-time gig, but it was an amazing opportunity and I couldn’t resist! Next up, you decided to strike out on your own with a project that earned you the moniker “That Drop Cap Girl.” Tell us about it! What gave you the courage to start your own business? Starting my own business was a bit of a no-brainer when I did it. I had been freelancing alongside my full-time job and found out after a year or so of doing it that I was actually making more money freelancing than I was at my day job! I was learning so much from Louise, though, that it took a while to feel ready to leave. I waited until I had about six months of ex-

Designher Magazine • Spring 2019 Issue

our first job after college was a freelance designer for a small studio in Philadelphia. How did you land this position and what did you learn? When I was still in college, I asked my professors Paul Kepple and Jude Buffum if Headcase Design (Paul’s Studio) was hiring internships. They had never had an intern before, and after a bit of convincing they hired me. When I graduated, the studio was slammed with bookwork and it was only natural that I stay on to help as a freelancer. I ended up freelancing full-time for about six months and part-time for a bit after that. I learned SO MUCH while working at Headcase—a lot about how book projects are managed, but mostly about how much I loved illustration and that I wanted to figure out ways to do more of it.

“Get comfortable with the uncomfortable.” - Jessica Walsh Designher Magazine • Spring 2019 Issue 14

penses saved before I went out on my own so I wouldn’t feel stressed over how to pay my bills. I started Daily Drop Cap because I wanted to make sure I was still lettering every day once I was full-time freelance (you never know what clients are going to hire you for, and sometimes your portfolio can get away from you). I also liked that the project imposed structure in my newly formless schedule. Your clients now include American Express, Wes Anderson, and The New York Times. When you started your business, how did you gain exposure for your brand? When did you finally feel like you had “made it” and that your business was a success? Honestly, I first felt like I made it when I got my very first freelance gig from a nonfriend when I was 21 years old. It wasn’t for a crazy big agency, or well-known company, but it felt like I had won the lottery. Everything grew organically—I started getting work from small regional magazines, then eventually was hired by bigger national magazines. Eventually I started getting hired to do book covers (mostly for lesser-known authors) but eventually was able to work for some bigger names. It just slowly grew over a few years, punctuated every now and then by an impressive name like AMEX until suddenly I found there were more major names than not. When you freelance, you always worry about whether or not your business will last, and I think it took three or four years of consistent end-of-year numbers to realize that I’d actually created a successful business. You are a letterer, illustrator, and graphic designer. We want to hear about your inspiration as a creative! Where does your inspiration come from? Do you seek it out? How would you describe your design style? I find inspiration everywhere, but mostly from people! I do a lot of public speaking, and I always feel the most inspired when returning from a conference because of all of the wonderful people I meet (speakers and attendees alike). Personally, I find that a good balance between social time and work time is what keeps my creative engines running smoothly—that if I don’t spend enough time with people I start feeling unmotivated and sluggish. As far as influences though (which is probably what you’re asking) I get a lot of project inspiration from the content of the project itself (for instance, reading the book I’m doing

the cover for gives me more conceptual and visual inspiration than spending a day in a rare books library). I do love visiting print studios though, perusing Pinterest, visiting amazing places like Letterform Archive in San Francisco. And now some advice! Freelancers are abundant in the graphic design and illustration industry. What guidance do you have for freelancers wanting to create exceptional and distinct work? I guess my top advice is to try to not follow trends too closely (if you can). Dribbble and Behance can be great for getting your name out there and seeing what others are up to but if you spend too much time looking at your contemporaries’ work you run the risk of making work similar to the herd. Spend time falling in love with things that aren’t design, and let those things influence your work. Inspiration comes from everywhere and all good designers talk about how much they’re inspired by architecture, fine art, books, nature, etc. In your opinion, what traits are necessary to become a successful freelance designer? Share tips on how to be your own boss, manage your schedule, and handle payment or compensation. Some of which can be a tricky part of the business! Every person is different, but the key ingredient is to be self-aware and to constantly evaluate your process. If there are things that you are downright terrible at, is there a way to delegate that responsibility to someone else? I’m terrible at keeping track of paperwork, so I’ve had an artist rep for years to handle that for me. As far as schedule managing, it can take a bit to understand how long projects take you to complete (or stages of projects). I live and die by my calendar, and have separate calendars for every kind of deadline, event, etc. (Finals, Sketches, Meetings, Life Stuff, Travel, etc.). I also use lists a lot to organize incoming requests / collaborations so they don’t fester in my inbox (like having a list for speaking requests so that I

The Art Directors Club commissioned Jessica Hische to design the poster for their semi-annual paper show.

Spend time falling in love with things that aren’t design.

A beautiful letter ‘J’ from Jessica’s “Daily Drop Cap” series

You split your time between Brooklyn and San Francisco, and also travel across the country for speaking engagements. Describe a typical day (or week!) in the life of Jessica Hische. Give us a glimpse into the madness! Most months I have at least one speaking engagement, but my travel can definitely get out of hand in the fall, during “conference season.” It’s rare that I get an entire uninterrupted work week in my office during the busy times! I can’t really work on client stuff when I’m traveling for conferences because travel is so exhausting, you’re always in different time zones, and because there are always a lot of random commitments during the conference that you didn’t account for until you arrive (social events, interviews, school visits, etc.). When I’m in my office in either SF or Brooklyn, I keep a pretty regular schedule. I generally work from 9am-7pm, start my day off with an hour of email, and spend the rest of the day trying to ignore my inbox and actually get work done. My mornings are usually for sketching or brainstorming and my afternoons are spent doing vector drawing. I reserve Mondays for “admin days” so I can answer interviews, really dig through my inbox, send files to people, etc. It’s definitely tough to stay on top of everything, but since I’m in charge of how much work I take on I just tend to slow the flow of work when I’m

feeling overwhelmed or have too much travel on my calendar. As a business owner, how do you achieve a work/life balance? It’s definitely tough! Work/life balance is different for everyone though. Right now I don’t feel like I have the best work/life balance because I feel stuck within a “day job” schedule because my husband and everyone around me has that kind of schedule. Generally I’m happiest when I can work when I want and play when I want, which means that sometimes I take afternoons off and work until late or sometimes I wake up at 5am to work so I can have an easier late day and evening. Having to confine myself to work within certain hours has definitely been a challenge, but I know it’s just prepping me for other life stages!

“Genius doesn’t benefit from existing in a vacuum.” - Lisa Congdon

can go over them all at once instead of on a case by case basis). Everyone is different, and just when you think you figured it out you find some better way of doing things. The key is to always keep trying to be better.

In five years, where do you see yourself and your business? I have no idea. I’m not a five year plan kind of person. I could potentially see myself having employees at some point, but I’m not sure if that’s a five year or 10 year plan. I tend to let my career and work grow organically in the directions that my interests take it. I’ll undoubtedly still being doing lettering, but I might end up doing more type design. I might focus more on brand refreshes, who knows! It really depends on the experiences I have, the kind of clients that come my way, and all sorts of extra factors like where we’ll be living, kids, etc. What advice would you give your 23-year-old self? No matter how motivated you are, still find time for friends and family! I definitely let a few relationships get pushed aside when I was struggling to get my career going early on. ♦

Designher Magazine • Spring 2019 Issue

Buttermilk is Jessica Hische’s first font. It’s a wonderful display script that is feminine but bold.