Ten’s Designer Cookbook #2 – Mid to Late 20th Century

Summary: Emmet McBain was a graphic designer and art director. He was born and raised in Chicago and studied advertising design at Ray Vogue Art School, American Academy of Art, and the Illinois School of Technology. In 1971 he opened an advertising agency, Burrell McBain, Inc., with his business partner Thomas Burrell and it later became one of America’s largest Black-owned agencies. Burrell McBain, Inc’s advertisements showcased African-Americans in a realistic and positive light, compared how other advertisements at the time represented African-Americans.

Examples:

My art style: I love how McBain wanted to represent African-Americans accurately in his advertisements during this time. His advertisements also used photography to capture the realism and I guess that connects to my art style since I love taking photos during outings all the time, to capture the moment and realism, but mostly for aesthetics.

Sources:

1. https://chicagodesignarchive.org/designer/emmett-mcbain 
2. https://laughtoncreatves.com/13-african-american-graphic-designers-part-2/ 
3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emmett_McBain