Herb Lubalin

Lubalin created the trademark for the World Trade Center at its opening (1973). He designed versions of Reader's Digest, New Leader and the entire series of Eros magazine, the last of which was the subject of a U.S. Supreme Court case on obscenity, Ginzburg v. United States 383 U.S. 463 (1966).

The creation of the magazine's logogram proved difficult, largely due to the inherent difficulties presented by the incompatible letterform combinations in the title. Lubalin's solution consisted of tight-fitting letterform combinations to create a futuristic, instantly recognizable identity. The demand for a complete typesetting of the logo was extreme in the design community, so Lubalin released ITC Avant Garde from his International Typeface Corporation in 1970. Steven Heller, one of Lubalin's fellow AIGA medalists, notes that the “excessive number of ligatures . . . were misused by designers who had no understanding of how to employ these typographic forms,” further commenting that “Avant Garde was Lubalin’s signature, and in his hands it had character; in others’ it was a flawed Futura-esque face.”

Avant Garde (14 issues, January 1968 to summer 1971) also provided Lubalin with a large format of wide typographic experimentation; the page format was an almost square 11.25 by 10.75 inches bound in a cardboard cover, a physical quality that, coupled with Lubalin’s layouts, caught the attention of many in the New York design scene. Ginzburg, who held some experience as a photographer, gave Lubalin total control over the magazine’s look: “Herb brought a graphic impact. I never tried to overrule him, and almost never disagreed with him.” Other issues included a portfolio of Picasso's oft-neglected erotic engravings, which Lubalin willingly combined with his own aesthetic, printing them in a variety of colors, in reverse, or on disconcerting backgrounds. Unfortunately, Avant Garde again caught the eye of censors after an issue featuring an alphabet spelled out by nude models; Ralph Ginzburg was sent to prison, and publication ceased with a still-growing circulation of 250,000.

Pistilli Roman (1964) was Lubalin's first typeface. Google Images show it later comprised the trademarks of Lincoln Center, the Metropolitan Opera and the New York Philharmonic from 1978 to 1985.

Lubalin left Sudler to start his own firm, Herb Lubalin, Inc., in 1964.

Eros (four issues, Spring 1962 to 1963) devoted itself to the beauty of the rising sense of sexuality and experimentation, particularly in the burgeoning counterculture. It was a quality production with no advertising, and the large format (13 by 10 inches) made it look like a book rather than a quarterly magazine. It was printed on varying papers and the editorial design was some of the greatest that Lubalin ever did. It quickly folded after an obscenity case brought by the US Postal Service.

In 1961 Lubalin designed the trademark for the Saturday Evening Post, which it used for several years. His work redesigning the magazine was portrayed in a cover painting by Norman Rockwell.

Lubalin would briefly land at Reiss Advertising, and then (in 1945) at Sudler & Hennessey, where he worked for 19 years. Lubalin and John J. Graham created the original NBC Peacock in 1957 at Sudler. The Cooper Union web book, 100 Days of Herb Lubalin (day 46), displays a Sudler ad from the 1950s that shows Andy Warhol, Art Kane and John Pistilli were among his employees.

After graduating in 1939, Lubalin had a difficult time finding work; he was fired from his job at a display firm after requesting a raise from $8/week (around US$100 in 2006 currency) to $10.

Herbert F. Lubalin (/luːˈbɑːlɪn/; March 17, 1918 – May 24, 1981) was an American graphic designer. He collaborated with Ralph Ginzburg on three of Ginzburg's magazines: Eros, Fact, and Avant Garde. He designed the typeface, ITC Avant Garde, for the last of these.

Herb Lubalin was born March 17, 1918 in New York. There he lived with his parents, older sister, and twin brother. His parents were very appreciative of the arts and were supportive of his artistic capabilities and talent. Early into his education, his parents realized that he was color blind.