Lubalin 100 is maintained by the Herb Lubalin Study Center to celebrate Lubalin’s centenary, directed by Annabel Brandon (@_annabelbrandon).
Herb Lubablin would have turned 100 on March 17th, 2018.
A storied designer, artist, typographer and apparently — party-goer. Lubalin is probably most well-known for producing the ubiquitous geometric font: Avant Garde.
For me, Patagonia, VHS tapes and disco come to mind initially, but his type work is no doubt most prolific in the music industry. While, Lubalin’s contribution is not limited only to typography, his design studio produced some breathtaking work. Lubalin definitely defined an era.
Mad respect. What a collection of work. I just love that World Trade Center logo. The play between positive and negative space drive me nuts.
I particularly enjoyed this quirk about Lubalin’s studio:
There was only one Herb Lubalin. His studio, however, had many names.
The name, and associated logo, of the agency which Herb Lubalin founded upon leaving Sudler & Hennessey, underwent several iterations. Although first named Herb Lubalin, Inc in 1964, the name was changed a number of times to reflect the various partnerships, and each repetition required a new logo.
Many names indeed, in fact there were 8 different studio iterations.
- 1955–1964, Sudler, Hennessey & Lubalin
- 1964–1967, Herb Lubalin, Inc.
- 1967–1975, Lubalin, Smith, Carnase, Inc.
- 1969–1971, Lubalin, Burns & Co, Inc.
- 1975–1978, Lubalin, Smith, Carnase & Peckolick
- 1978–1980, Herb Lubalin Associates, Inc.
- 1980–1981, Lubalin, Peckolick Associates, Inc.
- 1970s, Lubalin & Co
It should be noted that The Study Center (short for The Herb Lubalin Study Center of Design and Typography) has an extensive archive of Lubalin’s. The Lubalin Center is free and open to the public by appointment. Located at The Cooper Union, it’s a must-visit if you ever find yourself in NYC.
Further Reading
- Flat File — Weekly publication featuring one piece of graphic design at a time. In order to admire them, but also to learn something useful in the process. The context and the story behind each piece can reveal lessons that are timeless and invaluable to every contemporary designer. Every design piece featured here comes from the vast collection of work in the Herb Lubalin Study Center.
- Human Being Co – Herb Lubalin
- Graphic designers are planning 100 birthday parties for typography idol Herb Lubalin
- 1980 AIGA Medalist: Herb Lubalin