FULL REPORT: | Gail Anderson |
Gail Anderson’s versatile styles and background is the reason they really stood out to me. She comes from the Bronx, New York and grew up in the 60’s and 70’s. Her experience as a black woman growing up in New York reminds me of my own journey and perspective. From writing, to typography, to pottery, Anderson is determined to master all forms of fine art!
Once a graduate from the School of Visual Arts, Anderson now teaches at her alma mater. According to Anderson’s website, her career started off as a designer at the Boston Globe Sunday Magazine and Vintage Books. In 1987, when she was around 25 years old, Anderson started as an entry level employee at the highly acclaimed Rolling Stones Magazine. In the next 15 years at the company, she climbed her way up through designer and deputy art director, up to Senior Art Director. After leaving Rolling Stones Magazine in 2002, Anderson started working for SpotCo. She spent the next eight years becoming Creative Director hree until she decided to end her time with SpotCo in 2010.
According to Emily Esposito, Anderson has been designing her own magazine layouts using works she was interested in since she was a child. Some of the works that she was interested in and would rearrange included Archie comics, Mad Magazines and teen glossies. Her interest in creating collages and designing was definitely a clue into her future career. According to an interview conducted by Zachary Petit in 2016, Anderson drew on anything she could get her hand on. She says “I made Elton John posters, and little Partridge Family and Jackson 5 magaones, collagong together images from Spec and 16 magazines”. It wasn’t until discovering a book of Careers in the Visual Arts from her alma mater, Anderson made up her mind to pursue being a commercial artist. In the same interview, Anderson praises Paula Scher’s work saying “she’s been my design hero since college, and my admiration has only grown over the years”.
Anderson’s client list is quite extensive. She has worked with many high profile companies and museums. Some of her most remembered collections include the Cooper Hewitt Design Museum, the Library ofCongress and the Milton Glaser Design Study Center and Archives. Anderson’s personal favorite piece of work was when she worked with the United States Postal Service to create a stamp. The stamp was designed to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, according to Zachary Petit. A quick summary of the awards Gail Anderson has received over the course of her career:
National Design Award for Lifetime Achievement, Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum; Medal for Lifetime Achievement, AIGA; Society of Publication Designers; Type Directors Club; Art Directors Club; Communication Arts; Print; Graphis; UCDA; Society for News Design; Spirit of Juneteenth Award, Amistad Center for Art and Culture; Honorary Doctorate, Pennsylvania College of Art & Design
according to the SVA faculty website.
Anderson’s extensive career projects and achievements are truly inspiring to a fellow New York designer. Her work for the Art Directors Club is especially interesting to me because I attended a course at their facility which really drove me to graphic design over hand illustrations. After building her career to the top, Anderson has chosen to teach and pass on her wisdom to the next artists emerging from New York City
Works Cited:
Anderson, Gail. Gail Anderson, 2014, www.gailycurl.com/About-Contact.
Esposito, Emily. “Designers Who Inspire: Meet Gail Anderson: Inside Design Blog.” Invisionapp, Inc., 11 Mar. 2019, www.invisionapp.com/inside-design/meet-gail-anderson/.
“Gail Anderson.” SVA, sva.edu/faculty/gail-anderson.
Montgomery, Angus. “Four Corners – an Interview with Gail Anderson.” Design Week, 18 Feb. 2015, www.designweek.co.uk/issues/april-2013/four-corners-an-interview-with-gail-anderson/.
Petit, Zachary. “Gail Anderson’s Path to Design.” PRINT MAG, PRINT, 19 Mar. 2018, www.printmag.com/post/gail-andersons-path-to-design.
Renee, Karla. “Past and Present: Influential Black Graphic Designers and Brand Experts You Should Know About.” Lucidpress Blog, 10 July 2020, www.lucidpress.com/blog/8-black-branding-design-experts-to-follow.
Strizver, Ilene. “The Creative World of Gail Anderson.” CreativePro Network, 2 Aug. 2017, creativepro.com/the-creative-world-of-gail-anderson/.
WebHive.com.ua. “Let’s Make the Industry 50/50 Initiative.” 50/50 ADC Initiative, Apr. 2014, 5050initiative.org/t/321.
