Week#8 Graphic Designer Lorraine Wild

   

                

Lorraine Wild is a Los Angeles - Based graphic artist, writer, art historian, and teacher. She was born in Ontario Canada. Wild attended the Cranbrook Academy of Art in 1973. In 1975 she received her BFA and two years later she went to work for Vignelli Associates from 1977 – 1998. Vignelli’s interest in post-WW II American graphic design led her to further studying at Yale University where she earned an MFA degree in 1982 while at Yale she designed Perspecta 19, which was Yale’s architectural journal. Wild also designed the Chamber Works and Theatrum Mundi portfolios for the architect Daniel Libeskind, and the book of architect John Hedjuduk entitled, Mask of Medusa in1985.It was her designs of these books that gave her the reputation of thoughtful and distinctive designs, in books on architecture.

     Wild's MFA thesis title “Trends in American Graphic Design: 1930-1955” Was recognized as an important contribution to design scholarship and led to many commissions for essays. Wild’s work continued to grow earning her national identification. During Wild’s teaching at the University of Houston she wrote the influential essay “More Than A Few questions about Graphic Design Education” (1983), first published in The Design Journal. In the article, she gives a provocative analysis which was attributed to the changes in graphic design in the United States. Wild is a pioneer of change it was that article that led to her being hired as graphic design program director at the California Institute of the Arts in Valencia in 1985. During her time as director, she was recognized for implementing a new model for graphic design education. The program confronted graphic design methodology by inspiring students to use personal and emotional experiences to their work.

             In 1988, Liz McQuiston selected Lorraine Wild as one of forty-three women in six countries whose work is innovative or has had a significant impact in their chosen fields of design. The other American graphic designers included Jacqueline Casey, Muriel Cooper, June April Greiman, June Fraser, Katherine McCoy She continued to stay on the Cal Arts faculty after she stepped down as program director in 1999.