Watching the Artist Series on Paula Scher I can see her process when designing and her interesting personality. Beginning with the Jazz logo, Scher is able to use a conversation she had with Wynton Marsalis, the artistic director of Jazz, as the basis for the new logo. The keyword from this conversation being “syncopated” a musical term used to describe a variety of rhythms being played in unison, or described in the video as having “a bunch of things in order and one is off”. Using this information she would add a small square inside the rounded “a” in jazz to reflect this. Creating an effortlessly iconic logo, something Paula Scher is known for in her work.
In the video Scher adds, she works on instinct allowing her to finish her work quickly. However, she goes on to say that it may seem quick but actually took all of her experiences and interests to get to the point of being able to do something so instinctual. As I read her biography on the AIGA website I could see her nod to the famous graphic designer Herbert Matter in her poster “Swatch Watch USA”, revealing her influences and how she playfully uses them in instances.
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Hello Virginia,
I agreed with your response, the Jazz logo is a good representation of Paula Scher’s effortless work. But in a way, it’s not effortless because she is only able to do it “effortlessly” with the background knowledge and prior experiences she has.
Through Scher’s conversation with Wynton Marsalis she pulled out one word “syncopated” as the basis of her design. I related this to our class and how we did the word mind maps for our cultural institution.
I also liked how you described the Jazz logo. I was able to visualize the small square inside the rounded “a” of the Jazz.