Christopher Simmons (born April 10, 1973) is a Canadian-born, San Francisco-based graphic designer, writer and educator. Named one of the "50 most influential designers working today", he served on the board of directors of the San Francisco chapter of the

AIGA The American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) is a professional organization for design. Its members practice all forms of communication design, including graphic design, typography, interaction design, user experience, branding and identity ...

from 1996 to 1999, and again as president (2004–2006). Among his enduring accomplishments in that position was the creation of San Francisco Design Week, and the introduction of the first public design-oriented lectures at the Apple Store, a free program which continues to this day. On completion of Simmons' tenure, mayor

Gavin Newsom Gavin Christopher Newsom (born October 10, 1967) is an American politician and businessman who has been the 40th governor of California since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 49th lieutenant governor of California fr ...

issued an official proclamation declaring San Francisco to be a city where "design makes a difference." Christopher currently serves on the AIGA's national board of directors. Simmons is the principal creative director of the San Francisco design office MINE and the creator of the art installation ''Everything is OK''. The author of four books on graphic design, Simmons is also a frequent speaker on

graphic design Graphic design is a profession, academic discipline and applied art whose activity consists in projecting visual communications intended to transmit specific messages to social groups, with specific objectives. Graphic design is an interdiscipli ...

at schools and design organizations across the United States. His column ''My First Time'' appears regularly in "STEP inside design" magazine. He has contributed to works in the permanent collections of the

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) is a modern and contemporary art museum located in San Francisco, California. A nonprofit organization, SFMOMA holds an internationally recognized collection of modern and contemporary art, and was ...

and the Smithsonian Institution, and exhibited works at The Museum of Contemporary Art in Hiroshima, Japan, Taipei Design Week, and the Brno Design Biennial. Simmons developed and taught courses in Identity Design at the

Academy of Art University The Academy of Art University (AAU or ART U), formerly Academy of Art College and Richard Stephens Academy of Art, is a private for-profit art school in San Francisco, California. It was founded as the Academy of Advertising Art by Richard S. S ...

in San Francisco, and was an adjunct professor of design at the

California College of the Arts California College of the Arts (CCA) is a private art school in San Francisco, California. It was founded in Berkeley, California in 1907 and moved to a historic estate in Oakland, California in 1922. In 1996 it opened a second campus in San ...

(CCA) in San Francisco (his alma mater).''California College of the Arts''

Books

*''Logo Lab'', HOW Design Books, 2005 () *''Letterhead & Logo Design 9'', Rockport Publishers, 2006 () *''Color Harmony: Logos'' Rockport Publishers, 2006 () *''Just Design'' HOW Design Books, 2011 ()

References

External links

Personal WebsiteDesign Matters Interview with Christopher SimmonsLogolounge InterviewFundraising Success Interview
{{DEFAULTSORT:Simmons, Christopher 1973 births American graphic designers Living people California College of the Arts alumni California College of the Arts faculty Academy of Art University faculty