Herb Lubalin

Herb LUBALIN 1

2 1

2 1918-1981

H

erb lubalin was a new york typographer, graphic designer and art director.

Lubalin handled type in illustrative, expressive ways. He used typography as graphic elements to create typographic puns and visual narratives.

He had prominent work in typography and type-centric design in 1960 –1970.

He used tight letters and line spacing, extreme kerning with acute attention to every typographic detail and overall use of type in ways never seen before at the occasional expense of readability.

He became the key art director at Sudler and Hennessey (New York, 1940).

There he exhibited expressive typography.

He enjoyed showing his work in hand-drawn layouts that he called “tissues.” He was never satisfied, always struggling, searching, scribbling and accepting ideas from others.

The business changed from Sudler and Hennessey to Sudler, Hennessey and Lubalin because he had a big impact on design.

He collaborated with Ralph Ginzburg on three magazines: Euro, Fact and Avant Garde. Lubalin helped create a font called “ITC Avant Garde” which was based on the logo front used in Avant Garde magazine. Although his prints used in Euro and Avant Garde are more well known, his works on Fact covers are much stronger typographically and shows his signature style oftentimes with little or no imagery.

He also produced U&Lc (Upper and Lower Case) magazine which was the first magazine for typeface lovers. All layouts were designed by Lubalin, who set the aesthetic for the next 11 years. His constant search for something new and a passion for inventiveness made him one of the most successful art directors of the 20th century.

1 Herb Lubalin working in his office, 1975 2 Herb Lubalin studio logo, 1990

3

“Typography can be as exciting as illustration and photography. Sometimes you sacrifice legibility to increase impact.�

4

1

1 Company logo for Lubalin, Smith, Carnase INC, 1975

5

U

&Lc magazine was a fixture for illustrations, expressive typography and sleek ITC faces. The production run of the magazine lasted from 1970 to 1999 and there were over 120 issues produced. The magazine was an effort to display and advertise the latest typefaces from ITC, which was the first type to be produced without metal.

Herb was the art director of Fact magazine from 1965 –1967. Fact was a journal of politics and journalism and printed in all black and white. Each issue featured the work of a single illustrator showing his or her typographic design with directness and simplicity.

Herb rejected the rules of traditional typography and he liked to use modernism to cerate type that was more expressive.

He manipulated letter-forms, incorporated

flourishes, and added a dose of humor.

The type became more than a medium for setting text; type became image.

Changes in typography helped Lubalin in designing. Phototypesetting, a process of projecting type onto film or printing. This gave designers more freedom than settling metal type. Which allowed Lubalin to experiment with big changes in scale and unusual letterspacing.

1

2

4

5

6

3

6

1 U&Lc magazine, 1974

7 Leggs logo, 1969

2 U&Lc magazine, 1974

8 72 logo, 1968

3 U&Lc magazine, 1974

9 The sound of music logo, 1965

4 Fact magazine, 1964

10 Avant Garde logo, 1978

5 Fact magazine, 1964

11 Beards logo, 1949

6 Fact magazine, 1964

12 Say Brothers logo,1971

“Typography is a servant — the servant of thought and language to which it gives visible existence.”

7

8

10

11

7

9

12

2

8 1

T

he Herb Lubalin Study Center is located at Cooper Union, and its dedication to Herb Lubalin’s work opened in 1985.

It shows Lubalin’s vast collection of work.

The goal of the gallery was to provide the design community with a means to honor Lubalin and to study his innovative work.

The collection also includes a few other famous designers and holds a library of books and magazines.

His work garnered awards, such as a New York Art Directors Club Gold Metal.

Lubalin decided to return to his old school, Cooper Union as a visiting professor and taught at Cornell and Syracuse universities.

4

1 Cooper Union building, 2000 2 Herb Lubalin Cooper Union logo, 1974 3 Herb Lubalin Study Center, 2012 4 Herb Lubalin Study Center, 2012 5 Herb Lubalin Study Center, 2012

“You can do a good ad without good typography, but you can’t do a great ad without good typography”

3

5

9

Bibliography Brown, David R. “1980 AIGA Medalist: Herb Lubalin.” AIGA. March 1, 1980. http://www.aiga.org/medalist-herblubalin/

Newman, Robert. “Fact Magazine, Designed by Herb Lubalin.”

SPD.ORG: Grids. 2009. http://www.spd.org/2009/11/factmagazine-designed-by-herb.php

“The Herb Lubalin Study Center of Design and Typography.”

The Herb Lubalin Study Center of Design and Typography. 2013. http://lubalincenter.cooper.edu/

Snyder, Gertrude, Herb Lubalin, and Alan Peckolick. Herb Lubalin: Art Director, Graphic Designer, and Typographer. New York: American Showcase, 1985.

Designed and written by Chelsea Dewan Composed in Century Gothic, typefaces designed by Monotype Imaging in 1991 Printed from Tobshiba289 printer onto Hammermill 80# cover paper Copyright © 2016 Chelsea Dewan, Portland Maine, Maine College of Art

10