History
Here's or wall of fame dedicated to great designers and history of graphic design. These biographies of famous graphic design and typography experts are built upon excerpts from old publications in our library which are no longer marketed. Graphéine helps you discover (or rediscover) those who have made a change in the history of graphic design.
19/12/2023
Escher is a "mathemagician" who created realistic yet physically impossible works, combining art and mathematics.
05/12/2023
Anni Albers was one of the few Bauhaus women to achieve fame in her own lifetime. Her work dusted off and modernized tapestry.
17/04/2023
The vinyl sleeves come to life with jazz. It is a whole graphic universe that makes the music heard, through the illustration or the photo.
21/03/2023
Both a visual or life discipline, minimalism has become a questionable trend and consists in simplifying to keep only the essential.
21/11/2022
John Heartfield is a German "photomontage technician", politically engaged with his collages against Nazism and fascism.
20/07/2022
Herb Lubalin's biography in pictures. In his 40-year career, Lubalin has revolutionized the landscape of American graphic design by composing images with text.
03/04/2022
From the Nazis to the moon, Futura is probably the most used typeface in the world, and yet it's not new!
19/01/2022
Barbara Kruger denounces the over-consumption since the 70s. The Supreme brand has appropriated her graphic codes. But who is hijacking whom?
20/07/2021
From consumer logos to social movements, Debbie Millman questions the meaning of design in society through her work.
25/05/2021
An activist designer, W. Morris founded interior design and Arts & Crafts, improved the living conditions of workers and revalued craftsmanship.
29/06/2020
Graphic designer Milton Glaser gave the 70s and 80s a cheerful and colourful face and New York a reason to love him. Among his most famous creations are the logo "I ❤ NY" and Bob Dylan's psychedelic poster. Let's go into the history of a very, very big name in
16/06/2020
Being a designer like Reza Abedini in a country such as Iran means juggling with an incredible artistic, visual and calligraphic heritage that is 3000 years old.
29/03/2020
To grasp the genius of Iranian graphic design one must understand its incredible heritage in the arts, and the current upheavals. A short journey from ancient Persia to the most contemporary graphic design.
21/01/2020
A short history of Times New Roman, the essential typeface designed in 1932 by Stanley Morison for The Times newspaper.
23/10/2019
Wally Olins is the inventor of business and territorial branding and all the influence that comes with it. Discover his work and our exclusive interview.
03/10/2019
In the 1950s, in the midst of the Cold War, Paul Rand transformed the use of graphic design and the face of American companies.
15/05/2019
The Mistral ! This typeface which shares its name with a cold wind, but which breathes Provence, is without question the favorite typeface of bakers, butchers, craftsmen... Its name alone is enough to awaken an imaginary world as old-fashioned as it is modern!
17/03/2019
Didot was for a long time the spearhead of French typography. Let's discover how this bicentennial typeface managed to combine finesse and elegance to cross the centuries, and remain at the forefront of fashion!
12/12/2018
Let's discover Helvetica, a typeface that can't be ignored! Its longevity, influence and neutrality mean we love it as much as it annoys us.
04/12/2018
By designing UK's road signs, Margaret Calvert's discreet work helped to save hundreds of thousands of lives in the United Kingdom.
25/11/2018
Nothing predicted the Comic Sans MS to become what it is today: a font hated by graphic designers and yet very popular with the general public. Discover its history... and its some qualities.
28/06/2018
The Bauhaus Football Club, the story of the most beautiful design team in the world. When the football world cup is a pretext to revise your classics...
28/01/2018
Ever wondered how it is like to be a designer abroad? Here is an illustrated portrait of Turkish graphic design, through history and contemporary designers.
12/11/2017
Every day, millions of french people see Étienne Robial's work. In this article we decode, in plain language, a long career in graphic design, from Canal+ to Inrockuptibles.
31/08/2017
Last chapter on french publishing houses, the split between Poche and Folio, the graphic inventors, and the return of the beautiful independent book.
12/07/2017
From Penguin Editions to the birth of graphic design, the cover is an open book on the social mores of a country and an era.
29/06/2017
Under the influence of Japan, France or Russia, book covers are constantly evolving with technical progress and crises.
14/06/2017
From codex to colour printing! Here is the first part of this series of articles sweeping the evolution of book covers to the present day, through the most striking revolutions.
23/03/2017
Dick Bruna was the father of the most famous rabbit on the planet: Miffy. He passed away on February 16, 2016 and we wish to pay tribute to his work as a graphic designer, beyond the simple designer of a minimalist white rabbit.
15/02/2017
Portrait of Karel Martens, the man with multiple motifs and lovers of constraints, reference in the world of graphic design and plastic research.
18/01/2017
Trump will soon be designated as « most powerful man in the world » and we went digging into his past. We actually have evidence that Trump was a graphic designer. True story: he even created the type of IBM's logo!
14/12/2016
Ode to Cassandre, the man of a thousand talents. His design of posters and graphics revolutionized the role of visual communication.
27/10/2016
Inventor of optical art, but also advertising and graphic designer, Vasarely is a giant at the origin of an art form accessible to all, for all.
07/07/2016
Ben Bos (1930-2017) The big Bos of Dutch design! Portrait of a graphic design giant who worked for Total Design for 3 decades.
25/04/2016
Shepard Fairey, "the worm that shone with the stars!" (Victor Hugo) Portrait of a street artist, illustrator and activist graphic designer.
23/03/2016
Pierre Bernard & Grapus. Collective and individual itinerary of a committed graphic designer, tireless defender of the notion of public utility in graphic design.
24/11/2015
Marcel Jacno (1904- 1989), known as Jacno, is a french graphic designer, famous notably for having designed the NPT logo, as well as the Gauloises cigarette pack.
01/07/2015
Peter Gut, a multiple work navigating between caricature, press drawing and illustration for children, with humour in the background.
15/05/2015
Portrait of the Swiss graphic designer Hans-Peter-Hort (1924-2010). No biography is dedicated to him. Here is an attempt to catch up...
30/06/2014
Hans Hillman, German graphic designer, illustrator and designer (1925-2014). He was a pioneer who, as early as the 1950s, re-invented the art of film posters in Germany, designing German versions of posters by Godard, Bunuel, Eisenstein, Kurosawa and Bergman.
24/02/2014
Herb leupin (1916-1999). Swiss graphic designer who produced more than 1000 advertising posters.
03/12/2013
When some wanted to make revolution with their voices or their guitars, he armed himself with his pencils and brushes. It was the early'60s, and Kennedy wasn't an airport yet.
27/10/2013
Painter, graphic designer, English illustrator little known in France. Yet, Edward Bawden remains a great illustrator from Great Britain!
29/08/2013
Les Rencontres de Lure. For 61 years, strange wackos have been meeting every summer in "Lurs-en-Provence" to redo the typography in particular and the world in general. In a climate of camaraderie, under the Provençal sun, perched on a rock, all the faces of typography are discussed.
22/07/2013
Textile designer, graphic designer, furniture designer... nothing is colorful enough for this Italian-American!
10/06/2013
Let's explore the fabulous history of Villa Noailles and its illustrious inhabitants Charles and Marie-Laure de Noailles, great patrons of the arts, design and fashion!
03/05/2013
Retrospective of Roger Excoffon's work. Graphic designer, typographer and type designer 1910-1983. The creator of the Banco, Mistral, antique olive typography... but also of the Air France visual identity.
12/03/2013
Müller-Brockmann is one of the most influential graphic designers in the history. His work is always taught, studied and published. It is certainly the figurehead of Swiss graphic design (which also takes the name of international style). His work is influenced by Bauhaus and constructivism. Typography and geometry are predominant.
18/02/2013
Presentation of the Italian graphic designer Franco Grignani (1908-1999) This is a text where he presents himself his work and his vision of the profession (initially published in the collection "Graphic Designers in Europe" in 1973). Surprisingly, many of his reflections remain very contemporary.
05/02/2013
The Rappaz Museum is located in the historical heart of Basel, more precisely in the studio of the eponymous graphic designer Rolf Rappaz (1914-1996). It presents a permanent exhibition on the work of this Basel artist and graphic designer.
01/07/2010
Gérard Fromanger's name conjures up a series of motifs, figures and events that trace the history of post-war France. An essential artist of narrative figuration.