Women In Design: Paula Scher

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In this blog series, we shine a light on women trailblazers in the design industry – women who have earned a Wikipedia page (or are likely to very soon). You might not know them by name, but definitely by their work and influence on the design world as a whole.

We’re kicking off our Women in Design series with Paula Scher.

Once called “the most influential woman graphic designer on the planet,” Scher’s best known work is synonymous with New York City in the 90’s: her posters edgy colors, dynamic layouts, and hip-hop inspired graphics. However, that doesn’t cover even half of her story.

With a career spanning 40+ years, including stints as an album cover designer at CBS (credits including Boston (Boston), Leonard Bernstein and Bruce Springsteen), she is now a partner at Pentagram. While she might be best known for her logos and posters (The Public Theatre, MoMA, New York Shakespeare Festival in Central Park festival), Scher’s personal work might be her legacy: huge detailed pointillistic maps that showcase her self deprecating humor as well as her dedication to her craft, one she is never completely satisfied with. In other words, she is a true artist.

“Being a woman has nothing to do with the work itself,” Scher says*. “I don’t like pink more. There was a group of feminists very active in the ’80s who believed that women actually made different kinds of work [than men]. I don’t buy that.”

 *Source: https://magenta.as/how-pentagrams-paula-scher-defines-success-14bd60ed586b