Graphic design guide
Scope of the guide
Among the graphic designers who shaped the history of design are Paul Rand, Saul Bass, Milton Glaser, Massimo Vignelli, Paula Scher, Otl Aicher, Wim Crouwel and Josef Müller-Brockmann; From Turkey, names such as İhap Hulusi Görey, Mengü Ertel and Bülent Erkmen are frequently mentioned. This page is not a "best of" ranking; is a working list of why each name is important and what a designer today can learn from it.
I am Selçuk Aker; I am a graduate of Marmara University, Faculty of Fine Arts, Graphic Design and have been working on brand identity, publication and interface design for over 19 years. The “lesson to learn” and “how to get inspired today” notes below are my interpretation and exercise suggestion; These are not the words of the designers mentioned.
On what basis was this list prepared?
There is no objective score that measures the “best designer” in graphic design. That's why I built the list not as a ranking, but based on four criteria:
- Last impact: Names whose work is still used, studied or referenced decades later.
- Leaving a method: Rather than a single famous work, having developed a way of thinking that others can apply: grid, system, simplification, expressionist typography.
- Diversity of fields: Representing different fields such as logo, poster, movie credits, markup, typeface and publication.
- Verifiability: Using information from reliable sources. I did not write down the names and dates of works that I was not sure about.
The order of the names is not in order of importance; grouped by topics. The list is not complete either. I also discussed Susan Kare and Lella and Massimo Vignelli in my review of Scher, Kare and Vignelli. The approach I recommend for comparative reading instead of the “best” label can be found in the design history reference guide.
Simplifying the wordmark: Paul Rand and Saul Bass
Paul Rand
American designer Paul Rand is considered one of the fundamental names in the history of corporate identity with the logos he designed for IBM, ABC and UPS. Why is it important: He showed with his work that the logo should not be a picture, but a sign that is memorable and works at any scale.
Lesson to learn: Reduce the sign; but not enough to destroy identity. How to get inspired today: Try a logo sketch at the size of an icon in a browser tab and in one color. If not recognized, reduce detail.
Saul Bass
Saul Bass turned movie credits into a narrative space that establishes the atmosphere of the movie. The openings of movies such as “The Man with the Golden Arm” and “Vertigo” are frequently cited as examples. He also did identity work for large companies such as AT&T. Why it matters: He put movement, form, and typography in service of the same idea.
Lesson to learn: A single strong format can convey faster than a long explanation. How to get inspired today: Try designing the first three seconds of a promotional video with a single shape and a single title.
Those who speak to the city and public space: Glaser, Vignelli, Aicher
Milton Glaser
Milton Glaser is known for the "I ❤ NY" sign he designed for New York in 1977. He is among the founders of Push Pin Studios and took part in the founding of New York magazine. Why it matters: It changed the way a city describes itself with a sign so simple that anyone can repeat it.
Lesson to learn: Simplicity can create a mark that people can embrace. How to get inspired today: Try a simple hand-drawn sign with just letters and a single symbol for a local event.
Massimo Vignelli
Massimo Vignelli is known for the identity, publication and product designs he carries out together with his wife Lella Vignelli. The 1972 diagrammatic map for the New York subway and the marking works developed with Bob Noorda within Unimark are named after him. Why it matters: He established a large-scale information system with a limited number of fonts and a rigid system.
Lesson to learn: The fewer the rules, the easier the system is to maintain. How to get inspired today: For a catalog, try working with just two font families and three point sizes. In the catalog work I prepared for Pedaş, the way to show a large number of products consistently was to use short and clear rules.
Otl Aicher
German designer Otl Aicher led the team that developed the visual identity and sports pictograms of the 1972 Munich Olympics. He was among the founders of the Ulm School of Design (HfG Ulm); Lufthansa ID is also named after him. Why is it important: He established a visual system that can be understood without knowing the language.
Lesson to learn: A pictogram is not individual drawings, but a language based on a common grid and angle rule. How to get inspired today: Draw five icons with the same line weight and corner angle for an app or routing project. If one stands out, correct the rule, not the icon.
Grid and systems thinking: Müller-Brockmann and Crouwel
Josef Müller-Brockmann
Swiss designer Josef Müller-Brockmann is one of the leading names in the approach known as “Swiss style” or International Typographic Style. He is known for the concert posters he prepared for the Zurich Tonhalle and his book “Grid Systems in Graphic Design”. Why it matters: He defined the grid as a tool for order and readability, not an arbitrary choice.
Lesson to learn: The grid does not restrict freedom; Justifies your decisions. How to get inspired today: Set up a banner with its grid first, then place elements. If you're going to break the grid, do it consciously and in one spot.
Wim Crouwel
Dutch designer Wim Crouwel is known for the experimental "New Alphabet" typeface he created in 1967 and the posters and catalogs he made for the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam. He is among the founders of Total Design studio. Why it matters: He rethought type according to the limits of the screen technology of the time.
Lesson to learn: A technical constraint can be a creative starting point. How to get inspired today: Try setting up a title on a lone square pixel grid and observe where readability breaks down.
Those who transformed typography into expression: Lubalin, Scher, Sagmeister
Herb Lubalin
Herb Lubalin became one of the iconic names of expressionist typography by compressing letters, intertwining them and turning the word into an image. He took part in the emergence of the ITC Avant Garde typeface and the establishment of the International Typeface Corporation (ITC). Why it's important: It showed that typography not only carries information but also produces meaning.
Lesson to learn: Letter spacing and the combination of letters are also a means of expression. How to get inspired today: Try explaining a single word without using visuals, just with the position and weight of the letters.
Paula Scher
Paula Scher is a partner at Pentagram. The typographic identity he developed for The Public Theater in New York and the Citi logo are among his frequently cited works. Why it matters: It turned big, busy typography into the voice of an organization.
Lesson to learn: Identity is not just a logo, it is a recurring attitude. How to get inspired today: Create three posters for an event series that are recognizable by font and layout convention alone.
Stefan Sagmeister
Austrian designer Stefan Sagmeister is known for his album covers and striking posters that bring personal experience into design; He designed covers for musicians such as Lou Reed and Talking Heads. Why it's important: It showed that the designer's perspective can translate into the content of the work.
Lesson to learn: A personal opinion can also serve a brand in the right context. How to get inspired today: Start a small project for your portfolio that stems from your own question, with no clients, and document its process.
Names that shape graphic design in Turkey
Accessible resources on the history of graphic design in Turkey are more limited than those of foreign designers. That's why I kept the names below short and general. For detailed artifact and history information, I recommend you consult museum collections, exhibition catalogs and publications of professional organizations.
- İhap Hulusi Görey: He is remembered among the pioneers of advertising graphics in Turkey with the works he produced in the fields of posters, advertisements and packaging in the early period of the Republic. Lesson: Design can directly participate in the daily life of a country during its modernization period.
- Mengü Ertel: He is one of the important names of Turkish graphic design, known for his production in poster design and his identity as an educator. Lesson: A designer's legacy is not just their work, but the knowledge they pass on.
- Bülent Erkmen: He is known for his experimental use of typography in poster, book and publication designs, especially in the field of culture and art. Lesson: Typography can be bold in a corporate business, too.
- Sadık Karamustafa: He is one of the experienced generation of Turkish graphic design, especially known for his work in the field of printed communication. Lesson: A limited surface can create a powerful impact with a clear idea.
- Yurdaer Altıntaş: He is especially known for his production in the field of logo and emblem design. Lesson: Simplicity in sign design is one of the prerequisites for longevity.
The best way to get inspired by these names is to see their work in exhibitions, catalogs and in print. A poster shrunken on the screen cannot fully convey its true-to-life effect and print quality.
How to get inspired by these names today?
Copying a famous work doesn't get you closer to that designer; It only carries its surface. The method I recommend to students and young designers consists of four steps:
- Verify the source: Choose a name and find three of her works from reliable sources such as a museum, archive or designer's studio page. Do not use attributions on social media without verifying them.
- Write the problem: For each job, “what problem did this design solve?” Answer the question in one sentence.
- Remove the principle: Note the decision, not the appearance. For example, “readable from a distance with a single color and a single format”.
- Try it in your own brief: Apply the same principle with a different topic, different text and different material. If the result is too similar to the source, go back to a more fundamental decision.
These exercises become more meaningful with the basic concepts of design. You can find concepts such as hierarchy, contrast and grid in the graphic design elements and principles guide, and font selection in the typography guide. Finally, do not present your reinterpretations of the exercise as your own original work in the portfolio; State your source of inspiration.
Frequently asked questions
Who is the best graphic designer in the world?
There is no objective criterion to measure this. Names such as Paul Rand, Saul Bass, Milton Glaser and Massimo Vignelli are among the most frequently mentioned in design history; However, the “best” judgment varies depending on the field, period and perspective.
Who are the pioneers of graphic design in Turkey?
İhap Hulusi Görey is mentioned among the pioneers of advertising graphics in the early period of the Republic. Mengü Ertel, Bülent Erkmen, Sadık Karamustafa and Yurdaer Altıntaş are also frequently mentioned names from different generations. For detailed information, exhibition catalogs and professional organization publications are a good start.
Who designed some of the well-known corporate logos?
IBM, ABC and UPS logos with Paul Rand; “I ❤ NY” sign by Milton Glaser; The Citi logo is named after Paula Scher. Since logos can be updated over time, please also check who owns the version you see today.
Where can I check out these designers' work?
Online collections of museums such as MoMA and Cooper Hewitt, university archives, and designers' monographs are reliable sources. Process documentation of the Vignelli studies is housed in the archives at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT).
What do famous designers have in common?
My observation is that most have left a system or way of thinking rather than individual works. Applying a simple idea consistently and over a long period of time is more permanent than a one-time effect.
Why are there so few female designers on this list?
Design history has long been written predominantly through male designers, and attributing contributions to collaborative works to a single name is a controversial issue. Paula Scher, Lella Vignelli and Susan Kare are important names in this history; April Greiman and Muriel Cooper are also worth checking out.
Is it right to learn by imitating a famous design?
Redrawing a work as a personal exercise can help understand decisions. However, you should not present this work as customer work or an original design, and you should not use it in a commercial project.
What does learning design history bring to a designer?
It allows you to see where the solutions you use today, such as the grid, pictogram or simple logo, come from. This information helps you justify your decisions to the customer rather than just saying “thumbs up.”
Do you have a design project?
This guide provides information about education and profession. You can share your existing content and delivery expectations for your design project.
- Communication purpose of the project
- Mediums to be used
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