The 7 best graphic designers in history

Throughout history, many graphic designers have marked a turning point in a sector that is constantly evolving and never ceases to amaze us. Choosing the best is never an easy task, but here are the ones that have impressed us most with their careers:

1 – Stefan Sagmeister

Austrian graphic designer and art director. He founded Sagmeister, Inc. in 1993 in New York. He has been nominated five times for Grammy Awards and finally won one for the Talking Heads box set. He is known for his provocative and unorthodox designs. Working with esteemed clients such as the Rolling Stones, HBO, and the Guggenheim Museum, his work pushes boundaries and challenges traditional norms. In 2001, he published a book compiling all his work called Made You Look.

2 – David Carson

American graphic designer and design director. Known by many as the father of grunge design. His style is full of patterns and textures constructed with messy typography, colors, and photographs, creating a kind of collage. Most of his work was reflected in his covers, which were eye-catching and aimed to communicate visually to everyone, especially young readers and large companies. He shares his passion for design and surfing, noting that he was a professional surfer.

While working at his own design company, he signed contracts with Nike, Pepsi Cola, Ray Bans, Levi Strauss, and MTC Global.

3 – Jessica Walsh

She is an American designer, art director, illustrator, and educator. She was a partner at the Sagmeister & Walsh design studio and founder of the creative agency &Walsh. &Walsh. She rose to fame at a very young age but is still one of the most important graphic designers of the 21st century. Not many people can boast of having turned down a job offer as a designer for the giant Apple.

Her style combines masterful craftsmanship, photography, painting, and digital art, and some of her clients have included Levi’s, Aizone, Adobe, and Colab Eyewear, among many others.

4 – Milton Glaser

Born in New York, his professional career has been closely linked to this city. Surely, his most memorable work is the ‘I love New York’ logo, a model that has been replicated in countless cities around the world. Glaser has been most active in the field of magazines such as Esquire, Paris Match, and Village Voice, although we must not forget that he has also created more than 300 posters and album covers for musicians, such as Bob Dylan in 1967.

It is also worth noting that in 1954, he co-founded Push Pin Studios, co-founded New York magazine with Clay Felker, and created Milton Glaser, Inc.

5 – Massimo Vignelli

An Italian designer who studied architecture before entering the world of design: graphic design, decorative objects, interior design, installations… He worked within the modernist tradition, emphasizing simplicity through the use of basic geometric shapes.

His clients included Ford, Knoll, and American Airlines, but he will be forever remembered above all for designing the signage for the New York subway and, in 1972, the subway map. This design had such an impact that it was used as a reference for subways around the world.

6 – Barbara Kruger

She is an American conceptual artist, renowned for her works that combine black and white photographs with provocative texts that convey protest messages and bold, slanted Futura typography. The colors black, white, and red are always present in her works.

Kruger designed several covers for books on political topics, while also being considered a women’s rights activist, fighting for social issues such as misogyny and abuse of power.

7 – Neville Brody

British graphic designer and art director. From the beginning, he has always been closely linked to the punk movement, and his early work consisted of album covers for independent labels. He is known for designing many magazine covers, such as The Face (for which he was art director) and Arena, as well as for designing typefaces. He brought Times New Roman back into fashion for “The Times” newspaper and created typefaces for brands such as Coca-Cola, Samsung, and Dior.

He is the founder of Research Studios, a network of spaces for graphic experimentation with offices in London, Paris, Berlin, and Barcelona.