The Creative Genius of Paula Scher in Graphic Design

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• Paula Scher is recognized as one of the world’s most influential graphic designers and has a unique style that has captivated the design world.
• Scher was born on October 6, 1948, in Washington, the USA.
• Scher studied fine art at the Tyler School of Art of Elkin Spark in Pennsylvania.
• Scher was a student of Seymour Chwast, whom she married in 1973.
• Later, Scher moved to New York and began working in the professional world, being in charge of the layout of the children’s section of Random House Publishing House.
• Scher was the first woman to become a principal at Pentagram, the world’s largest independently-owned design studio.
• Scher began her career as an art director in the 1970s and early 1980s when her eclectic approach to typography became highly influential.
• Pentagram is known for its design work for clients ranging from Microsoft, Shake Shack, Bloomberg, The Museum of Modern Art, Sundance Institute, The High Line, The Met Opera, and many more.
• Scher has developed branding and identity systems, graphic promotional materials, environmental packaging, and publishing designs across a wide range of clients.
• Scher’s work has won her numerous awards, including being inducted into the Art Directors Club Hall of Fame in 1998, receiving the Kreisler award for innovation in design, and being awarded the Type Directors Club Medal as the first woman to receive the award.
• Scher has honorary doctorates from various institutions, including La Concorde and College of Art and Design, the Maryland S’Institut College of Art and University of the Arts London, and teaching awards from multiple prestigious institutions, including Cooper Union, Yale University, and Tyler School of Art.
• In 2012, Scher was honored with the Design Cola Award from the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and in 2013, she received the National Design Award for Featured Communication Design.
• Scher is also a published author, having written several books published by renowned publishers.
• Scher appears in “Abstract: The Art of Design,” the Netflix documentary series on leading figures in design and architecture, where she discusses her design process and the inspirations behind her work.
• Scher’s work has been exhibited worldwide and is represented in the permanent collections of prestigious museums such as the Museum of Modern Art, Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum in New York, the Library of Congress in Washington DC, the Philadelphia Museum of Art,

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• Paula Scher, a renowned graphic designer, shares her life lessons in the field of graphic designing in this video.
• Scher starts with how some things in the designing field remain constant over time and have nothing to do with technology, they are all about making things and people.
• She shares her personal experiences with designing and how she fell in love with designed things, such as the Beatles album covers and how that influenced her work.
• Scher talks about how finding heroes and mentors can be beneficial to a designer and can help shape their approach to design work.
• Scher emphasizes upon taking risks and pushing back against following the norm and making something contemporary that one hates.
• She discusses the importance of defying the career staircase in graphic designing and not falling into mastering the same thing for years.
• Scher talks about creating and exploring new things in design, believing in oneself, and not letting anyone talk down to you.
• Having a curiosity for the world around you and trying new things is important in design work according to Scher, as it allows you to explore and find new sources of inspiration. She gives the example of her trip to Russia.
• Scher talks about designing the Windows 8 logo and how it was well received, but how the criticism the logo received changed how she thought about the subjectivity of the industry in general.
• She speaks about using design to fight against climate change and to send a message and the importance of doing so.
• Scher talks about her methods of designing and how typography can tell the story of what you’re trying to say in a simpler way.
• She also talks about how she loves that working in design is not linear and how it allows you to get out of your comfort zone and experience new things.
• Scher discusses how creating something new can be difficult, but it’s important to take risks and do it anyway.
• She believes that design work should include some sort of conflict between the designer and the client as that creates something unique every time.
• According to Scher, not everything you design will turn out to be perfect, but it’s important to keep moving and creating anyway.
• She discusses the need to create a voice and style of your own in the design world and to avoid being a ‘chameleon’.
• Lastly, Scher talks about how designers have an important role in society and how design can be used as a tool for change and to help others.

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• Paula Scher is one of the most acclaimed graphic designers in the world.
• She has been a principal in the New York office of Pentagram since 1991.
• Scher has designed identity and branding systems, environmental graphics, packaging, and publications for a wide range of clients.
• Her clients range from Citibank, Microsoft, Bloomberg, the Museum of Modern Art, Tiffany & Co, the High Line, the Public Theater, the Metropolitan Opera, the Sundance Institute, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
• During the course of her career, Scher has been the recipient of hundreds of industry honours and awards.
• In her talk about “Life Lessons from the Field” and “Defying the Career Staircase,” she speaks about the different stages of a design career and the challenges one may face.
• Scher explains that the career staircase in design is like a surreal staircase where in the 20s, one learns a huge amount in a very short period of time, in the 30s, one becomes a professional, in the 40s, one experiences an aging growth, in the 50s, one has real power, and in the 60s, one has waiting power.
• According to Scher, the question is how to find a life where one can make things, grow and change and have a fulfilling life in design.
• Design is a life, and a great one at that.
• She recounts that she is about to turn 71 years old, and it is scary because one starts coming to the end of things.
• Scher believes in continuing to make things, grow and change to have a fulfilling life in design.
• Scher advises that one must have a willingness to make mistakes in design to grow and change.
• Scher recalls that one of her mantras is “It’s only design, and nobody died.”
• Scher tells how humor and self-deprecation are important skills in the communication process.
• Scher warns designers against being precious and explains that the key to great design is the ability to throw ideas out and not get too sentimental about them.
• Scher shares that her advice to aspiring designers is to stay motivated, understand that the work is never done, and realize that anyone can reinvent themselves if they put their mind to it.
• Scher recalls an anecdote from her student life which encouraged her to have a playful and fearless approach to design.
• Scher stresses the importance of working hard, challenging oneself, and developing a thick

• Paula Scher is introduced as a renowned designer and artist in graphic design.
• The presentation focuses on Scher’s work on four landmark projects, including The High Line, a rebranding for the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), revitalizing a Pittsburgh neighborhood, and creating an identity for Microsoft Windows 8.
• For The High Line project, Scher was asked to design an identity for an abandoned railway. Scher admits that she was not initially interested in the project, but needed to take it on to ensure that she would also get a paying job from the same client.
• Scher’s design for The High Line incorporates the letter H and railroad tracks, which created a simple but effective logo.
• To raise money for The High Line project, Scher’s team made “crappola,” items like magnets and postcards showing pictures of The High Line mock-up, that would help make the project seem real.
• The High Line project made progress with the help of influential figures like Martha Stewart, and notably, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who had initially signed the book for the project before he was actually elected.
• One key issue with institutional branding and rebranding efforts is that different departments often act independently and fail to coordinate, leading to different versions of logos and inconsistent branding.
• Scher came up with a strategy to change the organizational structure of institutions to address this issue. By having marketing and design report directly to the director, the structure shifts to a better-structured design to prevent too many changes and ensure continuity, with a specific design template that could work for all shows and exhibits.
• The project to revamp MoMA’s identity was made difficult due to the number of different departments, each with their own specific graphic design approach.
• Scher overcame this challenge by creating a consistent one-page template that could be utilized for different shows.
• The template includes a big picture of some piece of artwork, a great big logo, and a bunch of programs being promoted on the side.
• The identity system uses one typeface (Franklin Gothic), and the promotion of abstract expressionist paintings or a different show would follow the same basic rules in the template.
• Scher discusses one of her other projects in reviving a Pittsburgh neighborhood by creating new signage and graphics for the area, which had been significantly neglected.
• Scher stresses the importance of creativity and pushing into new territories in order to create great work.
• The transcript is a copy of a YouTube video published by 99U in October 2012 and

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• Paula Scher is a “legendary designer”
• She worked at Pentagram
• Scher shares 10 life lessons she’s learned in the field of design
• Scher discusses her background and her love for The Beatles’ record covers
• Scher talks about her mentors and their influence on her work, including her teacher at Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia and her husband Seymour Quast, who was a founder of pushpin studios with Milton Glaser.
• She emphasizes the importance of having heroes and mentors.
• Scher describes her rebellious attitude towards Helvetica, which was the prevailing typeface used by corporations to sponsor the Vietnam War in the 60s and 70s.
• She talks about pushing back against design norms and finding her own path in the industry.
• Scher discusses the “career staircase” and the challenges designers face in their 40s, 50s, and beyond.
• She emphasizes the importance of taking risks and pushing yourself to make new discoveries in order to continue growing as a designer.
• Scher talks about her work with the public theatre for 25 years and the importance of going the distance with projects.
• She emphasizes the importance of focusing on how a design makes you feel rather than just the technical aspects of the work.
• Scher discusses her work designing large-scale environmental graphics such as maps, signage, and branding for institutions and cultural organizations.
• She talks about the power of design to shape perceptions and influence behavior, and the responsibility that comes with being a designer.
• Scher discusses her approach to designing logos and the importance of creating something that is unique and memorable.
• She talks about the challenges of designing for a global audience and the importance of taking cultural differences into account.
• Scher describes her work creating a visual identity for The High Line, a public park in New York City, and the challenges of designing for a site with such a rich history and diverse community.
• She discusses her work with The Public Theater, designing posters and branding for shows, and the importance of creating something that feels immediate and relevant to the audience.
• Scher talks about her love for typography and the power it has to convey meaning and emotion.

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• Paula Scher is a graphic designer and a principle of Pentagram Design in New York City.
• She discusses the open approach to identity design, where the logo is how things are understood by other people.
• She mentions that a logo’s literal translation is the word, which is what a logo is.
• Scher explains that the logo is perceived as vital and is seemingly the most important part of design accomplished by corporations in relationship to what they do.
• She mentions that the word logo comes from Greek and was used by Aristotle to describe making an argument for something.
• Scher talks about logos designed for companies that have evolved over a period of time, such as Nike and Apple.
• Scher discusses how branding is a living, breathing entity that can change with the times.
• She mentions the importance of repetitive boring logos and the need to make them more interesting and engaging.
• Scher touches upon logos designed for not-for-profit and cultural companies that have a harder time being recognized due to their limited advertising budget.
• She explains how smaller companies must be clever and creative to get their logos recognized.
• Scher talks about her experience designing identity marks for Citibank, Jazz at Lincoln Center, and The Met Opera.
• She mentions the challenges of designing logos for companies with different aesthetics and viewpoints.
• Scher admits to losing control of identities once they are executed by others who may have different aesthetics and viewpoints.
• Lastly, she talks about how brand manuals are mostly useless in the long run.

• Paula Scher is a National Design Award winner for Communication Design - the Awards were introduced in 2000 to honour lasting achievement in American design.
• She didn’t know what graphic design was when she was in college and was inspired by her teacher who was an illustrator.
• Her teacher, Stanislaus Zagorski, designed the Cream album cover Wheels on Fire, which excited Scher with its exciting imagery and words.
• Scher graduated in 1970 and became involved in expressive typography and imagery that communicated through expression.
• Scher mentions Zig-Zag rolling papers and would go to antique stores to look at typography.
• Scher emphasises the unexpected longevity of her designs and mentions the record cover for Charles Mingus’ album Changes 1 & 2 that she designed 45 years ago and said that it is still being used.
• Scher shares her creative process, saying that the idea is the most important thing and that design is a strategic business tool used to solve problems.
• Scher discusses her experience creating the artwork for the revitalization of The Public Theater and the research that went into creating the design.
• Scher criticizes companies that constantly change their logos, saying that a logo is a visual asset that should be designed for longevity.
• Scher stresses the importance of typography and the message that it conveys.
• Scher mentions that her work comes from a mindset of problem-solving, and criticized designers who focus too much on aesthetics over function.
• Scher emphasizes the need for designers to research and understand their audience in order to create effective designs.
• Scher discusses the importance of collaboration within design teams to create solutions that check all the boxes required by clients.
• Scher discusses the way technology has changed design and encourages designers to adapt to these changes.
• Scher mentions the challenges of being a woman in the male-dominated design world.
• Scher talks about her experience with Pentagram, the design agency where she works, and how it operates as a collective of designers.
• Scher talks about her favourite projects, including the New York City Ballet and The High Line.

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💭  Looking into

Example works that Scher has produced and the impact they've made in design

💭  Looking into

A history of Paula Scher's career and design philosophy