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Remembering CBS Design Legend, Lou Dorfsman
| October 26, 2008
Art Directors: Louis Dorfsman /Kurt Weihs, Designer: Kurt Weihs (found in the 41st Annual of Advertising & Editorial Design /1962 The Art Directors Club)
Link: The Center for Design Study is working to save the Gastrotypographicalassemblage wall
| October 26, 2008
Louis Dorfsman (1918-2008)
- "For 41 years, (1946 to 1987), alongside William S. Paley and Frank Stanton, CBS SVP Lou Dorfsman ushered in the Golden Age of Broadcast Television. Managing design and advertising Lou Dorfsman sculpted a new medium and crafted the CBS brand; his creations deftly touched our lives, shaped our culture, and informed both our values and beliefs." — Icon of American Design History, The Center for Design Study
Last week I heard the sad news that designer Lou Dorfsman died. After seeing there wasn't a large variety of Lou Dorfsman's work available to view online, I turned to my small stash of old design annuals. The quality of the scans below don't do his work justice, but do give a partial sense of the diversity of design projects Lou Dorfsman designed and/or art directed while working at CBS.
Art Directors: Louis Dorfsman /Kurt Weihs, Designer: Kurt Weihs (found in the 41st Annual of Advertising & Editorial Design /1962 The Art Directors Club)
Art Director: Louis Dorfsman Designer: Louis Dorfsman / Alphonso Amato, Artist: Alphonso Amato, Copywriters: Louis Dorfsman, Larry Grossman (found in the 41st Annual of Advertising & Editorial Design /1962 The Art Directors Club)
Art Director: Louis Dorfsman, Designer: Louis Dorfsman / J. Schindelman, Copywriters: Louis Dorfsman, Robert Strunsky
(found in the 41st Annual of Advertising & Editorial Design /1962 The Art Directors Club)Art Director, Designer & Copywriter: Louis Dorfsman, Artist: Old Engraving—Charles Korbett
(found in the 41st Annual of Advertising & Editorial Design /1962 The Art Directors Club)
Art Director & Designer: Louis Dorfsman, Designer: Alphonso Amato, Artist: John Pistilli, Copywriters: Louis Dorfsman, Robert Strunsky, Alphonso Amato
(found in the 41st Annual of Advertising & Editorial Design /1962 The Art Directors Club)Art Director: Louis Dorfsman, Artist: Tomi Ungerer (found in the Graphis Annual 65/66)
Art Director: Louis Dorfsman, Designers: Akihiko Seki, Lou Dorfsman, Artist: Akihiko Seki
(found in the 56th Art Directors Club Annual)
Art Director, Designer & Artist: Lou Dorfsman, Producer: Edstan Studio (found in the film titles section of the 56th Art Directors Club Annual)
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This morning I found a thoughtful obituary by Steven Heller for The New York Times, and a small article on CBS News. Below I've collected a list of online resources on the life and work of Lou Dorfsman along with information on how to help preserve part of his legacy by donating to save the Gastrotypographicalassemblage wall.
more on Lou Dorfsman:
Lou Dorfsman on CBS NewsRadio audio, with Don Swaim, 1987 (this was a great find)
Here is a video from 2001 on the history of the CBS logo, in which Lou Dorfsman is interviewed:
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In honor of Lou Dorfsman's legacy please consider helping The Center for Design Study restore Dorfsman's masterpiece, the Gastrotypographicalassemblage wall (previously in the CBS cafeteria).
Below is a visual slideshow about Lou Dorfsman and the CBS Wall (the audio comes from an old CBS radio interview). A higher quality version is available via The Center for Design Study.
In response to the importance of the Gastrotypographicalassemblage restoration efforts, Michael Bierut says:
- "Considering how important graphic design is to the life of our visual culture, it's depressing how casually we treat work that would properly be considered iconic in any other field. The astonishing typographical wall that Lou Dorfsman designed for the CBS cafeteria is an irreplaceable piece of design history. The efforts of The Center for Design Study to restore this virtuoso piece of graphic design is well worth supporting, not least of all as an example of how to show proper respect to the artifacts upon which our profession's legacy is built."
photo credit for the top photograph of Lou Dorfsman standing in front of the Gastrotypographicalassemblage wall in the CBS cafeteria: Sara Krulwich / New York Times
Link: The Center for Design Study is working to save the Gastrotypographicalassemblage wall
Tags: advertising, graphic design, legend, typography
Topic: Graphic Design
Creative Dialogue
2 Comments |[ Add Comment ]
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d:r feed network
on October 27, 2008 “Michael Bierut posted "Four Lessons of Lou Dorfsman" this morning on DesignObserver, which is a great read.” |
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James Healy
on October 27, 2008 “wonderful post. thank you.” |
