Michael Bierut was born near Cleveland, Ohio in 1957. In his suburban town, or in the entire state of Ohio for that matter, design was neither encouraged, nor given much attention. In his town’s library, however, there happened to be two books that would appeal to his combined interests in drawing, music and fine art, they were Graphic Design Manual by Armin Hofmann and Milton Glaser: Graphic Design. As graphic design was not his intentional fascination, Bierut found the application of his artistic skills and his partiality to music to be suited for album cover design. The two found books in his town library, however, would lead him to pursue the study of what he had read at Cincinnati’s College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning. After an internship with Chris Pullman, another acclaimed designer, he would graduate and, in 1980, find himself working his first job. Fortunately, or perhaps due to determination, Bierut got a job working for Massimo and Lella Vignelli in New York, which is quite the accomplishment for any respectable designer, not to mention one who is just getting his feet wet.
He eventually grew to the Vignelli Vice President of Design, giving him a reputable status in the industry. Working for such a modernist, corporate design firm, Bierut found that the process of designing company brochures was tiresome in that they are meant to be read, however not enticing enough to make someone want to read them.
In 1990, Bierut was made a partner by the Pentagram design firm due to the fact that he realizes this design issue: obvious communication can be done by anyone, but the professionalism that he brings is through his ability to make information noticeable and even enticing while containing the appropriate information. He has been employed by everyone from Yale to Walt Disney, yet all have relied on his interpretation of conveying the companies message in a unique and sincere enough way that the corporation or University, for example, can be seen as much more than children’s movies or an Ivy League school filled with law students. It’s this approach to professionalism and post-modern design that Bierut is known for; it’s what his clients expect, and what they will, indeed, receive. He incorporates the professional attitude towards his work, although has a reputation for humor and wit, but there’s a sense of exploration and experimentation that works for him and his clients, as well as his fellow designers.
Aside from being a renowned graphic designer, Michael Bierut is involved in publication as well. Known for his humorous and all around enjoyable opinion, he has co-edited the anthology series Looking Closer: Critical Writings on Graphic Design along with designing and co-editing the monograph, Tibor Kalman: Perverse Optimist. He is the co-founder of the website dedicated to critical entries on design and just about every other essential topic that can be discussed in society today. He does radio commentary on everyday design for the radio program “Studio 360,” and to top it all off, he has his own book entitled, Seventy-nine Short Essays on Design.
For all this, his rewards are plentiful, however most notably; he won the AIGA Medal in 2006, which is considered the highest honor in the design profession. This award speaks for itself. His intentions of “democracy” in the design world have proven to be fruitful, in that he executes wittingly the intentions of his client, and then some, giving something more to a corporate identity or poster for Yale’s architecture school. Michael Bierut has a quality to the way he works, however this does not pertain to just the work alone. His knowledge of everything, music, architecture, and culture makes him a sought-after member of the critical community, aside form the design industry.
Sources:
- (http://www.pentagram.com/en/partners/michael-bierut.php).
- (http://www.aiga.org/content.cfm/medalist-michaelbierut)
written by Alissa Walker
