Artist Four: Paula Scher

Why this Artist?
     Because I appreciate Graphic Designers and Paula Scher was one of the first big name female graphic designers.  She has had an amazing career working in a large variety of places and holding very high positions within these companies.  She is a great example of a female artist that has broken through barriers and gotten far in her career and I admire that. 

Here are some of my favorites works by Scher: 

Poster for Metropolis’ Net@Work Conference by Paula Scher

Cross-dressing in the Park by Paula Scher

Paula Scher's mural installed at the new Metropolitan Campus in Forest Hills, Queens

Who is this Artist?
     Paula Scher has received a medal from the American Institute of Graphic Arts, a place in the Art Directors Club Hall of Fame, representation in the collections of MoMA and the Cooper-Hewitt, and become a Pentagram (one of the largest and most successful Design firms in the world) partner.  Scher has a Bachelors Degree from the Tyler School of Art and a Doctor of Fine Arts from the Corcoran College of Art and Design. She has lectured and exhibited all over the world, and taught in places like the School of Visual Arts, Cooper Union, Yale University and the Tyler School of Art. Scher has developed identities for a broad range of clients that includes The New York Times Magazine, Tiffany's, Citibanks, Perry Ellis, Bloomberg, Target, Jazz at Lincoln Center, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, the New 42nd Street, the New York Botanical Garden, and The Daily Show With Jon Stewart.  She has done a lot more as well and is really one hell of a woman.

What does she do? 
     She creates identities for big name companies.  She not only designs things graphically, she also paints murals and works in other mediums.  She has had to compete with men all of her life and has earned a spot as one of the top female artists of her time. 

Why she inspires me?
     Scher inspires me both with the amazing and detailed work that she does and the positions she holds as a well known female artist.  Scher has gone against all odds and become extremely successful in a field that was very male dominated.  The fact that she didn't let her gender stop her from trying and becoming a huge success is very inspiring to me.  Scher is a very strong example of an artist that doesn't take no for an answer and never gives up and I only hope I can be like her someday. 

One of Scher's large projects is titled Maps where she paints these amazing maps using typography.  I absolutely love this project so I have placed parts of these images below. More of Scher's works can be found here: http://www.behance.net/PaulaScher.