Steven Heller (born July 7, 1950) is an American

art director Art director is the title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, film industry, film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supervise and ...

journalist A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalism ...

critic A critic is a person who communicates an assessment and an opinion of various forms of creative works such as art, literature, music, cinema, theater, fashion, architecture, and food. Critics may also take as their subject social or governmen ...

author An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states: "''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...

, and

editor Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, photographic, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, orga ...

who specializes in topics related to

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 ...

Biography

Steven Heller was born July 7, 1950, in New York City to Bernice and Milton Heller. He attended the Walden School, a progressive prep school on the

Upper West Side The Upper West Side (UWS) is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It is bounded by Central Park on the east, the Hudson River on the west, West 59th Street to the south, and West 110th Street to the north. The Upper West ...

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

, as well as military school. In 1968, he enrolled at

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...

with a major in English, later transferring to the

School of Visual Arts The School of Visual Arts New York City (SVA NYC) is a private for-profit art school in New York City. It was founded in 1947 and is a member of the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design. History This school was started by ...

illustration and cartoon program but not graduating from either. After leaving SVA, he was hired to teach a newspaper design class. In 1968, he became the art director of the ''

New York Free Press New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

'' without formal education or credentials because of his leftist leanings, later attending some New York University lectures utilizing his press pass. He met illustrator

Brad Holland John Bradley Holland (born December 6, 1956) is a retired American professional basketball player. He played for four years at UCLA (from 1975 to 1979). He was a member of the 1980 Los Angeles Lakers championship team. He was the University of ...

who convinced him page layouts and type choices mattered, of which Heller was previously unconcerned. After the ''Free Press'', he moved on to various publications, including porn tabloid ''

Screw A screw and a bolt (see '' Differentiation between bolt and screw'' below) are similar types of fastener typically made of metal and characterized by a helical ridge, called a ''male thread'' (external thread). Screws and bolts are used to fa ...

.'' In 1974, Heller became the youngest art director for ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' Op-Ed page, replacing

Jean-Claude Suares Jean-Claude Suares (March 30, 1942 – July 30, 2013) was an artist, illustrator, editor, and creative consultant to many publications, and the first Op-Ed page art director at ''The New York Times''. Biography Suares was born on March 30, 194 ...

. His interest in illustration employed on the Op-Ed page led him to publish collections on the subject. He became the art director of ''

The New York Times Book Review ''The New York Times Book Review'' (''NYTBR'') is a weekly paper-magazine supplement to the Sunday edition of ''The New York Times'' in which current non-fiction and fiction books are reviewed. It is one of the most influential and widely rea ...

'' in 1977''.'' In the 1980s, he became interested in design through friendships with

Seymour Chwast Seymour Chwast (born August 18, 1931) is an American graphic designer, illustrator, and type designer. Biography Chwast was born in the Bronx, New York City and in 1949 graduated from Abraham Lincoln High School in Brooklyn where he was int ...

and

Louise Fili Louise Fili (born April 12, 1951) is an American graphic designer recognized for use of typography and quality design. Her work often draws on inspiration from her love of Italy, Modernism, and European Art Deco styles. Considered a leader in ...

, who he later married, as well as becoming the editor 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 ...

Journal of Graphic Design''. Under his care, the ''Journal'' became a place of critical design writing, inviting authors from a variety of professions and nurturing the careers of fledgling critics, who documented design writing. In 1984, Heller helped create the master’s program for illustration at the

.'''' In 2007, he began a transition from his 30-year career at the ''New York Times''. The changes created a lot of stress, and his

Parkinson’s Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a long-term degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that mainly affects the motor system. The symptoms usually emerge slowly, and as the disease worsens, non-motor symptoms become ...

was either triggered or exacerbated.'''' In 2008, Heller co-founded the MFA in design criticism program (

D-Crit D-Crit is the Design Criticism MFA department at the School of Visual Arts in New York City, chaired by Alice Twemlow and co-founded along with Steven Heller in 2006. In Fall 2008, the department enrolled 15 students, who became the inaugural cl ...

) with

Alice Twemlow Alice Twemlow is a writer, critic and educator from the United Kingdom whose work focuses on graphic design. She has been a guest critic at the Yale University School of Art, Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), and Rhode Island School of ...

. The program was intended to help non-designers find a place in the design field.'''' As of 2019, he serves on the faculty of the

as co-chair of the MFA Design Department, special assistant to the president, and co-founder of the MFA Design Criticism, MPS Branding, MFA Interaction Design, MFA Products of Design programs. Heller's pupils have included

Deborah Adler Deborah Adler (born 1975) is an American designer. A native of Chappaqua, New York, Adler is the daughter of a doctor and a nurse. She attended the University of Vermont, receiving her BFA in 1997. Adler then studied design at the School of Vis ...

Awards and recognition

In 1996, he was inducted into the

Art Directors Club Hall of Fame The Art Directors Club Hall of Fame was established in 1971, by the Art Directors Club of New York, a professional organization in the design and creative industries. The Art Directors Club selects its honorees from those "who have made significant ...

. In 1999, Heller received an

AIGA Medal Following is a list of AIGA medalists who have been awarded the American Institute of Graphic Arts medal. On its website, AIGA says "The medal of the AIGA, the most distinguished in the field, is awarded to individuals in recognition of their ex ...

for what designer

Paula Scher Paula Scher (born October 6, 1948, Washington, D.C.) is an American graphic designer, painter and art educator in design. She also served as the first female principal at Pentagram, which she joined in 1991.Scher, Paula." (n.d.): Oxford University ...

described as "lifetime achievement that comes from a workday existing roughly between 4:30 and 8:45 A.M. before a full workday at the New York Times Book Review." The

Society of Illustrators The Society of Illustrators is a professional society based in New York City. It was founded in 1901 to promote the art of illustration and, since 1959, has held an annual exhibition. History Founding The Society of Illustrators was founded on ...

honored Heller with the Richard Gangel Art Director Award in 2005. In 2017, the AIGA named an award, the Steven Heller Prize for Cultural Commentary, in his honor, citing his three decades of contributions to cultural discourse on design. In 2011, was awarded the Design Mind Award by the

National Design Museum Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum is a design museum housed within the Andrew Carnegie Mansion in Manhattan, New York City, along the Upper East Side's Museum Mile. It is one of 19 museums that fall under the wing of the Smithsonian Inst ...

Writing

Heller has said he writes so that he "can further discover and share what I’ve learned with others" and as a way to study topics he is curious about, notably the emergence of right- and left-wing tyrannies and pre-World War II

totalitarianism Totalitarianism is a form of government and a political system that prohibits all opposition parties, outlaws individual and group opposition to the state and its claims, and exercises an extremely high if not complete degree of control and reg ...

. The subjects he writes about are seen through the lens of graphic design and are motivated by not being able to sleep and how design manipulates and communicates.

Articles

Heller is author and co-author of many works on the history of

illustration An illustration is a decoration, interpretation or visual explanation of a text, concept or process, designed for integration in print and digital published media, such as posters, flyers, magazines, books, teaching materials, animations, vid ...

typography Typography is the art and technique of arranging type to make written language legible, readable and appealing when displayed. The arrangement of type involves selecting typefaces, point sizes, line lengths, line-spacing ( leading), and ...

, and many subjects related to

. He has published more than eighty titles and written articles for magazines including ''Affiche'', '' Baseline'', ''Creation'', ''Design'', ''Design Issues'', ''

Design Observer Design Observer is a website devoted to a range of design topics including graphic design, social innovation, urbanism, popular culture, and criticism. The content of the site includes essays, articles, reviews, blog posts, and peer reviewed scho ...

'', '' Eye'', ''Graphis'', ''How'', I.D., ''Oxymoron'', ''

Mother Jones Mary G. Harris Jones (1837 (baptized) – November 30, 1930), known as Mother Jones from 1897 onwards, was an Irish-born American schoolteacher and dressmaker who became a prominent union organizer, community organizer, and activist. She h ...

'', ''

'', '' Print'', ''Speak'', and '' U&lc magazine.'' For thirty-three years Heller was a senior art director of ''U&lc magazine'', a publication devoted to typography.

Books (partial list)

Heller has written, co-authored, and/or edited more than 130 books about design and popular culture. He worked with Seymour Chwast to create Push Pin Editions and more than 20 books for Chronicle Books with his wife, Louise Fili. *''Innovators of American illustration'', Steven Heller. 1986. *''Design Culture: An Anthology of Writing from the AIGA Journal of Graphic Design'', Marie Finamore, Steven Heller. 1997. *''Sourcebook of Visual Ideas'', Steven Heller,

. 1989. *''Designing With Illustration'', Steven Heller, Karen Pomeroy. 1990. *''Borrowed Design: Use and Abuse of Historical Form'', Steven Heller,

Julie Lasky Julie Lasky is an American journalist, editor and critic best known for her writings on design and popular culture. From 2012 to 2015, she was the deputy editor of ''The New York Times'' weekly "Home and Garden" section, for which she wrote a month ...

. 1993. *''Italian Art Deco: Graphic Design Between the Wars'', Steven Heller,

. 1993. *''Streamline: American Art Deco Graphic Design'', Steven Heller,

. 1995. *''Japanese Modern: Graphic Design Between the Wars'', James Fraser, Steven Heller,

. 1996. * ''Design Literacy (Continued): Understanding Graphic Design'', Steven Heller. 1999. * ''Paul Rand'', Steven Heller, Paul Rand,

Jessica Helfand Jessica Helfand (born 1960 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is a designer, author, and educator. She is a former contributing editor and columnist for Print, Eye and Communications Arts magazine, and founding editor of the website Design Observer. S ...

. 1999 * ''Anatomy of Design: Uncovering the Influences and Inspiration in Modern Graphic Design'', Steven Heller, Mirko Ilic. 1999. * ''Typology: Type Design from the Victorian Era to the Digital Age'', Steven Heller,

. 1999. * ''British Modern: Graphic Design Between the Wars'', Steven Heller,

. 2001. *''Red Scared!: The Commie Menace in Propaganda and Popular Culture'', Michael Barson, Steven Heller. 2001. *''This Way - That Way: Prints + Posters Exhibitions + Environments'', Keith Godard,

Edwin Schlossberg Edwin Arthur Schlossberg (born July 19, 1945) is an American designer, author, and artist. He specializes in designing interactive experiences, beginning in 1977 with the first hands-on learning environment in the U.S. for the Brooklyn Children's ...

, Steven Heller. 2001. * ''Design Humor: The Art of Graphic Wit'', Steven Heller. 2002. *''Citizen Designer: Perspectives on Design Responsibility'', Steven Heller, Veronique Vienne. 2003. * ''Teaching Graphic Design: Course Offerings and Class Projects from the Leading Graduate and Undergraduate Programs'', Steven Heller. 2003. * ''Design Literacy: Understanding Graphic Design'', Steven Heller. 2004. *''Inside the Business of Illustration'', Steven Heller,

Marshall Arisman Marshall Arisman (October 14, 1938 – April 22, 2022) was an American illustrator, painter, storyteller, and educator. Biography Arisman was born in Jamestown, New York, on October 14, 1938, where he grew up on a dairy farm. He studied adve ...

. 2004. *''Times Square Style: Graphics from the Great White Way'', Vicki Gold Levi, Steven Heller. 2004. *''Euro Deco: Graphic Design Between the Wars'', Steven Heller,

. 2005. *''Nigel Holmes: On Information Design'', Steven Heller,

Nigel Holmes Nigel Holmes (born 15 June 1942, Swanland, England) is a British/American graphic designer, author, and theorist, who focuses on information graphics and information design. Biography Graduating from Royal College of Art in London in 1966, H ...

. 2006. * ''Stylepedia: A Guide to Graphic Design Mannerisms, Quirks, and Conceits'', Steven Heller,

. 2006. * ''Design Disasters: Great Designers, Fabulous Failure, and Lessons Learned'', Steven Heller. 2008. * ''Design Entrepreneur: Turning Graphic Design Into Goods That Sell'', Steven Heller,

Lita Talarico Lita Talarico is a co-founder and co-chair of the School of Visual Arts MFA Design Program in New York City. She also co-founded the SVA Masters Workshop in Italy, an ongoing summer program. She also teaches and lectures on design entrepreneuris ...

. 2008. * ''Design School Confidential: Extraordinary Class Projects From the International Design Schools, Colleges, and Institutes'', Steven Heller,

. 2009. * ''Becoming a Graphic Designer: A Guide to Careers in Design'', Steven Heller, Teresa Fernandes. 2010. *''The Swastika: Symbol Beyond Redemption?'', Steven Heller. 2010. * ''Becoming a Digital Designer: A Guide to Careers in Web, Video, Broadcast, Game and Animation Design'', Steven Heller, David Womack. 2011. * ''Design School: Extraordinary Class Projects From International Design Schools'', Steven Heller,

. 2011. * ''Graphic Design Reader'', Steven Heller. 2012. * ''Stop, Think, Go, Do: How Typography and Graphic Design Influence Behavior'', Steven Heller, Mirko Ilic. 2012. *''Design Firms Open for Business'', Steven Heller,

. 2013. *''Lettering Large: Art and Design of Monumental Typography'', Steven Heller,

Mirko Ilić Mirko Ilić (born 1 January 1956) is a Bosnian-born comics artist and graphic designer based in New York City. Yugoslavian period Ilić was born in Bosnia and Herzegovina. His life, schooling and most of his Yugoslav-period-career was located at ...

. 2013. *''Writing and Research for Graphic Designers: A Designer's Manual to Strategic Communication and Presentation'', Steven Heller. 2013. * ''Becoming a Graphic and Digital Designer: A Guide to Careers in Design'', Steven Heller, Veronique Vienne. 2015. *''Graphic Style Lab: Develop Your Own Style with 50 Hands-On Exercises'', Steven Heller. 2015. *''Becoming a Design Entrepreneur: How to Launch Your Design-Driven Ventures from Apps to Zines'',

, Steven Heller. 2016. *''Graphic Design Rants and Raves: Bon Mots on Persuasion, Entertainment, Education, Culture, and Practice'', Steven Heller. 2017. *''The Design of Dissent, Expanded Edition: Greed, Nationalism, Alternative Facts, and the Resistance'',

Milton Glaser Milton Glaser (June 26, 1929June 26, 2020) was an American graphic designer. His most notable designs include the I Love New York logo, a 1966 poster for Bob Dylan, and the logos for DC Comics, Stony Brook University and Brooklyn Brewery. In 1954 ...

, Mirko Ilic,

Tony Kushner Anthony Robert Kushner (born July 16, 1956) is an American author, playwright, and screenwriter. Lauded for his work on stage he's most known for his seminal work ''Angels in America'' which earned a Pulitzer Prize and a Tony Award. At the turn ...

, Steven Heller. 2017. * ''The Moderns: Midcentury American Graphic Design'', Steven Heller, Greg D'Onofrio. 2017. *''100 Ideas that Changed Graphic Design'', Steven Heller, Veronique Vienne. 2019. * ''Teaching Graphic Design History'', Steven Heller. 2019. * ''Growing Up Underground: A Memoir of Counterculture New York'', Steven Heller. 2022.

Exhibitions (as curator)

*The Art of Simplicisimus (The Goethe House) *The Malik Verlag (The Goethe House) *Political Art: Ten Years of Graphic Commentary (

) *L'Assiette au Beurre (The French Institute) *Cartoonists for a Nuclear Freeze (Marymount College) *The Art of Satire (Pratt Graphic Center) *Graphic Jesters: Two Generations (Schiller Wapner Gallery) *Art Against War (

Parsons School of Design Parsons School of Design, known colloquially as Parsons, is a private art and design college located in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City. Founded in 1896 after a group of progressive artists broke away from established Manhatt ...

) *Typographic Treasures: The Work of W.A. Dwiggins (ITC Gallery) *Push Pin Studio Retrospecitive (

Cooper Union The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art (Cooper Union) is a private college at Cooper Square in New York City. Peter Cooper founded the institution in 1859 after learning about the government-supported École Polytechnique in ...

)

References

External links

Steve Heller, Typo2007 Keynote (video): »Das Auge hört mit«

Steve Heller, Typo2008 Keynote (video): »Iron graphics: Branding totalitarian states«
{{DEFAULTSORT:Heller, Steven 1950 births AIGA medalists American art critics American art historians American art curators American graphic designers Design writers Living people Writers from Cincinnati Artists from Cincinnati School of Visual Arts faculty The New York Times visual journalists American male journalists Jewish American artists Jewish American historians Historians from Ohio 21st-century American Jews