Paula Scher: Twenty-Five Years at the Public, A Love Story

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Description

A larger-than-life figure in the design community with a client list to match, Paula Scher turned her first major project as a partner at Pentagram into a formative twenty-five-year relationship with the Public Theater in New York. This behind-the-scenes account of the relationship between Scher and "the Public," as it's affectionately known, chronicles over two decades of brand and identity development and an evolving creative process in a unique "autobiography of graphic design."
New Yorkers, designers, and theater fans everywhere will be thrilled to find hundreds of Scher's posters, including those for Hamilton, Bring in 'da Noise, Bring in 'da Funk, and numerous Shakespeare in the Park productions, collected in this one-of-a-kind volume along with other printed and process-related matter. Essays by two of the theater's artistic directors, George C. Wolfe and Oskar Eustis, and design critics Steven Heller and Ellen Lupton contextualize Scher's dynamic typographic treatment.

Reviews

"'Why should I correct my mistakes when all of the innovation exists in the mistake' This kind of rebellious thinking makes Paula Scher's work feel fresh yet instantly recognizable. The artist, designer and Pentagram partner has been developing the visual language for the non-profit theater group for more than two decades, from its wood type-inspired identity to more than 150 postersmany of which weren't displayed outside the venue. This graphic-heavy tome chronicles her creative output and love story behind it all for the in-depth history of this radical New York institution that's as inspiring as the performances there.
Cool Hunting
"Anyone who has spent time in the city knows at a glance when a poster, program or tote bag is promoting a play at this fabled downtown venue, so distinctive are the blocky typography and minimal graphics pulled together by Paula Scher. In 25 Years at The Public, Ms. Scher tells her own story, starting with her early designs for Shakespeare in the Park, in which cutting out and blowing up individual words tarted up the fustiness of the play titles....This illustrated memoir-cum-monograph is a fascinating voyage inside the mind of a first-rate designer."
- The Wall Street Journal
"If you miss Paula Scher's arresting billboards from your commute, Paula Scher, 25 Years at The Public, A Love Story has you covered."
- New York Magazine
"In Paula Scher: 25 Years at the Public, a Love Story, hundreds of stunning examples show how this graphic designer created an identity for hits like Hamilton and the theater that nurtured them."
- The New York Times

Author Bio

Paula Scher has been a partner in Pentagram's New York City office since 1991. She is a recipient of the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum's National Design Award for Communication Design and the AIGA Medal.