Herb Lubalin
This article contains content that is written like an advertisement. (August 2018) |
Herb Lubalin | |
---|---|
Born | Herbert F. (Herb) Lubalin March 17, 1918 |
Died | May 24, 1981 (aged 63) |
Occupation(s) | Type Designer, Graphic Designer |
Spouse | Sylvia Kushner |
Herbert F. Lubalin (
Biography
Herb Lubalin was born March 17, 1918, in New York.[1] There he lived with his parents, older sister, and twin brother. His parents were very appreciative of the arts and were supportive of his artistic capabilities and talent. Early into his education, his parents realized that he was color blind.[2]
Education and early career
Lubalin entered Cooper Union at the age of seventeen, and quickly became interested in typography as a communicative implement. Gertrude Snyder notes that during this period Lubalin was particularly struck by the differences in interpretation one could impose by changing from one typeface to another, always “fascinated by the look and sound of words (as he) expanded their message with typographic impact.”[3]
After graduating in 1939, Lubalin had a difficult time finding work; he was fired from his job at a display firm after requesting a raise from $8/week (around US$100 in 2006 currency) to $10.[4]
Lubalin would briefly land at Reiss Advertising, and then (in 1945) at
Pistilli Roman (1964) was Lubalin's first typeface.[6] Google Images show it later comprised the trademarks of Lincoln Center, the Metropolitan Opera and the New York Philharmonic from 1978 to 1985.
In 1961 Lubalin designed the trademark for the
Lubalin left Sudler to start his own firm, Herb Lubalin, Inc., in 1964.
Private practice
Lubalin created the trademark for the World Trade Center at its opening (1973).
Eros Magazine and Fact Magazine
In Lubalin's private studio, he worked on a number of wide-ranging projects, from poster and magazine design to packaging and identity solutions. It was here that he became best known for his work on a series of magazines published by Ralph Ginzburg: Eros, Fact, and Avant Garde.[10]
Eros (four issues, Spring 1962 to 1963) devoted itself to the beauty of the rising sense of sexuality and experimentation, particularly in the burgeoning counterculture. It was a quality production with no advertising, and the large format (13 by 10 inches) made it look like a book rather than a quarterly magazine. It was printed on varying papers and the editorial design was some of the greatest that Lubalin ever did. It quickly folded after an obscenity case brought by the US Postal Service.
Ginzburg and Lubalin followed with Fact, largely founded in response to the treatment Eros received. This magazine's inherent anti-establishment sentiment lent itself to outsider writers who could not be published in mainstream media; Fact managing editor Warren Boroson noted that “most American magazine, emulating the
Fact itself folded in controversy as Eros before it, after being sued for several years by Barry Goldwater, the Republican presidential candidate, about whom Fact wrote an article entitled “The Unconscious of a Conservative: A special Issue on the Mind of Barry Goldwater.” Goldwater was awarded a total of $90,000, effectively putting Fact out of business.[10]
Avant Garde
Logo
The creation of the magazine's
Page design
Avant Garde (14 issues, January 1968 to summer 1971) also provided Lubalin with a large format of wide typographic experimentation; the page format was an almost square 11.25 by 10.75 inches bound in a cardboard cover, a physical quality that, coupled with Lubalin’s layouts, caught the attention of many in the New York design scene.[10] Ginzburg, who held some experience as a photographer, gave Lubalin total control over the magazine’s look: “Herb brought a graphic impact. I never tried to overrule him, and almost never disagreed with him.”[10] Other issues included a portfolio of Picasso's oft-neglected erotic engravings, which Lubalin willingly combined with his own aesthetic, printing them in a variety of colors, in reverse, or on disconcerting backgrounds. Unfortunately, Avant Garde again caught the eye of censors after an issue featuring an alphabet spelled out by nude models; Ralph Ginzburg was sent to prison, and publication ceased with a still-growing circulation of 250,000.
U&lc Magazine
Lubalin spent the last ten years of his life working on a variety of projects, playing a pivotal role in the
References
- ^ Simon (2021-11-24). "Herb Lubalin (1918 - 1981) renowned graphic designer". Encyclopedia of Design. Retrieved 2022-10-11.
- ^ "Lubalin 100 — Lubalin 100: Day 2". Lubalin 100. Retrieved 2022-10-11.
- ISSN 0017-345241 (Jan-Feb 1985): 56-67.
- ISSN 0010-351941 (Mar-Apr 1999): 159.
- ^ New York Times, September 2, 1988, p. A3
- ^ American Showcase book Herb Lubalin, p. 34
- ^ American Showcase book Herb Lubalin, p. 78
- ^ "Day 19: 4 April 2018, World Trade Center". Lubalin 100. Herb Lubalin Study Center. Retrieved 7 October 2018.
- ^ Obituary of Herb Lubalin, New York Times May 26, 1981, page D12
- ^ OCLC 201042699.
- ^ ISSN 0362-624525 (Summer 1998): 8-11.
- ^ David R. Brown, “Herb Lubalin,” AIGA (1981), http://www.aiga.org (accessed August 15, 2006).
New York Times, 9-2-88, p. A 3, corrections
Further reading
- Gertrude Snyder; Herb Lubalin; Alan Peckolick. "Herb Lubalin: art director, graphic designer, and typographer". New York: American Showcase (1985) OCLC 12175480
- Adrian Shaughnessy. "Herb Lubalin: American Graphic Designer". London: Unit Editions (2012). ISBN 978-0-9562071-6-6
External links
- [1] Herb Lubalin's Final U&lc
- An Interview with Mr. Herb Lubalin(1969)
- Postage stamps designed by Herb Lubalin
- "Individualism Squelchers" by Herb Lubalin(1966)
- Art Directors Club biography, portrait and images of work
- Eros magazine – all four issues with various related resources, archival project by Mindy Seu
- The life, work, and afterlife of Herb Lubalin, by the Herb Lubalin Study Center