Alvin Lustig

graphic designer

Alvin Lustig

Alvin LustigDesigner

Whatever the medium, he could make it do things, make it extend itself under the prodding of his imagination. —James Laughlin Publisher of New Directions Books

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3Wanderer by Alain Fourmen

Three Lives By Lionel TeillingE.M. Forester By Lionel Teilling

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Alvin Lustig was born in 1915 in Denver, Colorado. Little in Lustig’s family history was indicated a future as an artist until in high school, where his art teacher was influential in his interest in applied arts, particularly in advertising posters. Out of high school, he rendered simple projects like letterheads and business cards. He practiced cases of geometric printing ornaments which he used to construct graphic ornamentation and his sans serif fonts.

He began to design letterheads and booklets for his clients which attracted many viewers. In the late 1930s, he began to design book jackets which was what he was renowned for. He experimented with metal type constructions, collage and montage layering and other abstract scribbling which became his trademark for book jackets. These applications were sculptural than most, inspired by the ruler-breaking typographers who turned pieces of lead upside down to create impressions.

One of his first successful book jackets was the Ghost in the Underblows, Alfred Young Fisher’s epic poem, edited by Lawrence CLark Powell

The project was as outstanding as any printed in the century. —Ward Ritchie one of L.A.’s most adventuresome independent publishers.

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Process Illustration of Ghost in the Underblows

Process Illustration of Ghost in the UnderblowsProcess Illustration of Ghost in the Underblows

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Lustig’s style, during his time, was unlike any other designers. He designed the language of surrealistic iconography and symbolic abstractions and created his unique typography which he crafted from metal and collage layering. His geometric motifs and abstractions played pictorial games, using visual signs and clues for his audience which was a new development of design.

His style gained him popularity, which landed him a job designing book jackets for the New Directions Books in 1940. He designed The Wisdom of the Heart which gained many publishers’ interest with the decorative slugs, the sans serif typography and the graphic enigma suggesting New Direction’s own progressive character. He also created various jackets for a twenty-five volume series which was noted for his abstract images in two colors and the symbolic interpretations of the texts. He thought ‘it was necessary to attract and hold roving eye of the potential buyer,’ in which he accomplished with inventing symbols that quickly summarized the spirit of each volume.

His jackets had a big impact on the book-buying public, enormously increasing the sales of the New Direction Books. Disregarding what the books were even about, people began buying the books solely for the attractive book covers. Lustig’s beautiful designs were helping to make a mass audience aware of high quality reading. New Direction Books succeeded in the marketplace and also in the history of design for its ingenuity. Each jacket had it’s own character, with visual unity maintained through out the designs.

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The 1941 edition of Henry Miller’s The Wisdom of the Heart, a collection of short fiction and essays

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Poems by Wilfred Owen, one of the poems off the twenty five volume series

Selected Poems by D H Lawrence, one of the poems off the twenty five volume series

Menagerie by D H Lawrence, one of the poems off the twenty five volume series

Lustig’s book jacket works reveals an evolution from an experimental to mature practice-from total abstraction to symbolic typography. He designed magazines, interiors, textiles and most importantly, book jackets with his inspiring and unique style of design.

He died in 1955 after struggling with diabetes which began to erode his vision. He believed design is a total practice that gives both pleasure and purpose to society and culture which is much of the practice of design today. He laid the foundation for what designers do today and his touch of genius had blossomed into total genius.

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There is nothing in the book world today which compares with the color, the variety, the life, and the appeal to the intellgent Lustig. Again and again I find myself lining the books up just to gloat over them.—James Laughlin Publisher of New Directions Books

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Endnotes

1 Klein, Jonas. Graphic Design in America. 231.

2 Heller, Steven. The Life and Design of Alvin Lustig. 25.



5 Kind Company. Modern Design Poineer.


7 Kind Company. Modern Design Poineer.


Bibloigraphy

Heller, Steven. The Life and Design of Alvin Lustig. San Francisco, CA: Chronicle Books LLC

Kind Company. Modern Design Poineer. 2006 http://www.alvinlustig.com/

Klein, Jonas. Graphic Design in America. New York: Walker Art Center. 1989.

Colophon

Designed and written by Jon Foster.Composed in Futura condensed medium, Futura condensed extra bold and Futura condensed medium, typefaces designed by Martin Majoor in 1994

Printed from a Canon Image Runner onto 40# text

Alvin Lustig

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