Designed by Jarline Duran
IVAN CHERMAYEFF
BIOGRAPHY
I
van Chermayeff was a renowned American graphic designer, born on May 4, 1932, in London, England.
He co-founded the design firm Chermayeff & Geismar in 1957, which later became Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv. Chermayeff's early years were marked by a passion for art and design. He studied at Harvard University and later attended the Institute of Design in Chicago. His exposure to influential design thinkers and artists during this time fueled his creative drive. In the late 1950s, Chermayeff, along with Tom Geismar and Robert Brownjohn, established their design firm, initially called Brownjohn, Chermayeff & Geismar. The firm quickly gained recognition for its innovative and impactful designs. Over the years, the company underwent various name changes and restructuring, but Chermayeff remained a constant force in shaping its creative vision. His multidisciplinary approach and commitment to pushing the boundaries of design earned him numerous awards and accolades throughout his illustrious career.
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His multidisciplinary approach and commitment to pushing the boundaries of design earned him numerous awards and accolades throughout his illustrious career. Ivan Chermayeff's legacy lives on not only through his timeless designs but also through the impact he had on the field of graphic design. He passed away on December 2, 2017, leaving behind a body of work that continues to inspire and influence generations of designers worldwide.
Ivan Chermayeff's contributions to graphic design are immeasurable. He played a key role in creating some of the most iconic and enduring visual identities, including the logos for NBC, National Geographic, Pan Am, and Mobil. His ability to distill complex ideas into simple, memorable images set a standard in the industry. Beyond corporate branding, Chermayeff was involved in exhibition design, creating dynamic and engaging displays for museums and cultural institutions.
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EARLY WORK
E
arly in his career, Chermayeff
Influenced by the Bauhaus philosophy
worked as a designer of book
of utilitarian order, Ivan Chermayeff
jackets and album covers for
developed his own unique approach to
Columbia Records. He continued to design
modernist graphic design. His design
and illustrate books throughout his career,
work simplified information into easily
receiving gold medals from the American
recognizable symbols by streamling
Institute of Graphic Arts and the Society
the visual process. His work in collage
of Illustrators. Chermayeff loved lettering
followed the same path of gathering
in all forms, incorporating letters and
information in the form of found items
words into his graphic work, as well as
and combining them to create a new image.
into his fine art practice. He was a talented collagist who used found objects, letters
Chermayeff loved the process of making
and words to create witty assemblages of
collage, saying “collages make it possible
abstract shapes and figurative images.
for everything to be something else.”
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In the end, that is the basic tenet of advertising as well. Collage was a favorite means of personal expression for Chermayeff, apart from his professional work. Bright, colorful, and highly graphic, each collage is made from mailing envelopes, scraps of packaging, ticket stubs, bits of type, etc. This artwork has been featured in over 40 one-man exhibitions throughout the U.S., Europe, and Japan. Nearly all the collages are variations on the theme of the human face, each made with a style and visual wit characteristic of Ivan’s work.
Collages make it possible for everything to be something else. While logos became a defining aspect of Chermayeff's later career, his early works reflect a period of exploration and experimentation across various design mediums. His commitment to pushing the boundaries of visual expression laid the groundwork for the innovative and impactful designs that would follow in the years to come.
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WELL KNOWN PROJECTS
I
n graphic design, crafting the logo
business as it celebrates its 60th anniversary
of a distinguished company is the
in 2017, has left an indelible mark on
profession’s Holy Grail, not just
the visual landscape of America.
because of the ubiquitous visibility this entails, but also because of what is at stake:
Founded in 1957 in New York by Ivan
a logo should represent who the company
Chermayeff and Tom Geismar, the company,
is, embody its characteristics and summarize
which was renamed Chermayeff & Geismar
its identity, all in one single design gesture
& Haviv in 2013 - a nod to designer
that should both fit in a business card and
and partner Sagi Haviv who had joined
look good in a building’s façade. Nowhere
ten years earlier - has been a pioneering
is this more evident than in the outstanding
force in American graphic design with
work of American graphic designers Ivan
some of the most iconic logos under its
Chermayeff and Tom Geismar, whose
belt: NBC’s colourful peacock, National
partnership, the longest running in the
Geographic’s distinctive yellow frame,
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Mobil Oil’s eye-catching red O, PanAm’s
historically customary, instead the designers
pared-down globe and many more.
drew an abstract, symbolic shape, both simple and memorable, which is still in
The company went on to design a plethora
use today. “You may not be able to draw
of emblematic visual identities for corporate,
it”, as Chermayeff has said, “but when you
retail, media, institutional and public
see it, you know you’ve seen it before.”
entities such as Merck Pharmaceuticals, Hearst, Armani Exchange, Barneys New
Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv has also
York, Showtime, PBS, MOCA, MOMA, the
been a prolific designer of posters, be they
Smithsonian Institute, Library of Congress
for museum exhibitions, television shows
and the Environmental Protection Agency,
or other cultural events, but the company
all of which have become an integral part
has also created large scale installations such
of American culture. Their logos may
as the murals for the Lisbon Aquarium
seem simple, but as Geismar claims, they
and the iconic steel sculpture of a massive
are the product of a painstaking “process
red 9 on West 57th Street in New York.
of investigation, creativity and politics" whereby you try, according to Chermayeff, “to understand what your clients are, which is not necessarily what they say they are”. After a few years of designing record albums, company magazines and packaging lines, the watershed moment came in 1960 when David Rockefeller asked Chermayeff and Geismar to create a new logo for Chase Bank, then the second largest bank in America. Eschewing a figurative design as was
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AWARDS AND RECOGNITION
P
resident of AIGA (American Institute
in 1983, the Yale Arts Medal in 1985, Trustee
of Graphic Arts) from 1963 to 1966.
of the Archives of America Art in 1987-90.
Trustee of MoMA (Museum of
Royal Designer for Industry since 1992.
Modern Art) from 1965 to 1986. Member of the board of directors of IDCA
He was awarded numerous prizes including
(International Design Conference in
the Industrial Art Medal from AIA
Aspen) from 1968 to 1999. Board Director
(American Institute of Architects) in 1967,
at Municipal Art Society of New York
the Philadelphia College of Art Gold Medal
in 1972-76. Member of AGI (Alliance
in 1971, AIGA Gold Medal (American
Graphique Internationale) since 1978.
Institute of Graphic Arts) in 1979, the
Board Director at Smithsonian Institution
President’s Fellow Award from the Rhode
from 1988 to 1996. He was elected to
Island School of Design in 1981, the First
the Hall of Fame of ADC New York (Art
International Design Award from Japan
Directors Club) in 1982. Trustee of the
Design Foundation in 1983, the Yale Arts
Archives of America Art in 1987-90.
Medal in 1985, the Distinguished Service
Royal Designer for Industry since 1992.
Award from New School University in 1999, the Society of Illustrators Gold Medal
He was awarded numerous prizes
in 2002, the Tokyo Type Directors Club
including the Industrial Art Medal from
Award in 2004, and the National Design
AIA (American Institute of Architects)
Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2014.
in 1967, the Philadelphia College of Art Gold Medal in 1971, AIGA Gold Medal
He also received a honorary doctorate
(American Institute of Graphic Arts)
in law from the Portland School of Art
in 1979, the President’s Fellow Award
in 1981, and two honorary doctorates
from the Rhode Island School of Design
in fine arts from the Philadelphia
in 1981, the First International Design
University of Arts and the Corcoran
Award from Japan Design Foundation
Museum of Art, Washington in 1991.
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CLOSURE
T
he work and influence of Ivan Chermayeff can be seen everywhere. From iconic logos
that adorn tall buildings to delightful illustrations in children’s books, Ivan’s work has been cemented in our visual culture. His philosophy of stripping down the unnecessary to reveal the essence of what makes a logo memorable and iconic is taught and practiced across the world. Because he shared his knowledge and skills, Ivan’s legacy will continue to live on.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY “Ivan Chermayeff.” Smithsonian American Art Museum, americanart. si.edu/artist/ivan-chermayeff-855. “Ivan Chermayeff: The Art of Design.” STAIR Galleries, 15 June 2020, www. stairgalleries.com/news-insights/insights/ chermayeff/. Phaidon. “Ivan Chermayeff - Death and Taxis.” PHAIDON, www.phaidon. com/agenda/design/articles/2017/ december/04/ivan-chermayeff-death-andtaxis/.
Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv, www.cghnyc.com/about/. “Chermayeff, Ivan.” Baker Schorr Fine Art, www.bakerschorrfineart.com/ chermayeff-ivan.html. “Chermayeff, Ivan.” Baker Schorr Fine Art, www.bakerschorrfineart.com/ chermayeff-ivan.html. “Designculture Ivan Chermayeff.” Designculture.It, www.designculture.it/ interview/ivan-chermayeff.html.
Scharlott, Will. “A Tribute to Ivan “An Intro to Ivan Chermayeff’s Early Chermayeff.” Medium, Medium, 9 Dec. Work.” AIGA Boston, boston.aiga.org/ 2017, willscharlott.medium.com/aan-intro-to-ivan-chermayeffs-early-work/. tribute-to-ivan-chermayeff-6e9760e7a88e. “Ivan Chermayeff.” Yatzer. “Sixty Years of Logos: Chermayeff Marlborough Graphics, www. and Geismar’s Visual Legacy of Iconic marlboroughgraphicsnewyork.com/ Designs.” Yatzer, 17 Jan. 2018, www. artists/ivan-chermayeff. yatzer.com/cghnyc-60-years.
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