Leader Profile Abstract

Abstract from

Design at Play: A Look at Iconic Graphic Designer Paula Scher

By Jennifer Peck

Communication can travel through a multitude of forms, and for artists and designers, the primary form of communication is visual. Even the individual characters that make up the words, sentences, and paragraphs you are reading now are tiny pieces of art. Together these characters are a rendering of a feeling that a typographer wanted to convey, however expressive or subdued that feeling may be. While much can be said through shapes and forms, it takes a certain eye to put a visual language together. Graphic Designer Paula Scher is a master at telling the story that is not type-set on the page.

As the first female professional designer to gain recognition among a sea of men, Scher has accomplished, and continues to accomplish, many iconic feats in her more than 50 year reign. She has designed for global brands such as Citibank, Microsoft, Coca-Cola, Tiffany and Co., The Walt Disney Company, and so many more. From her highly regarded typographic record covers created during her time at CBS Records, to the loud New York City street style she created for the Public Theater, Scher has been setting design standards since the 1970s. She is still designing and setting trends today through her own work, and through the leadership of her design team at the prestigious design firm Pentagram.

Upon studying Scher, I have gathered from her tendency to prioritize and foster human connection that she exhibits a leadership style reminiscent of servant leadership theory. She strives to always be learning — which she believes can only be achieved through failure — and to seek out projects that will spark her curiosity, allowing her to design in her signature state of play. I have learned from Scher that it is okay to make mistakes in the name of learning and growing, and to not take myself too seriously as a designer. I hope to be able to tap into even a small piece of Scher’s power, wisdom, and servitude, and I look forward to seeing her next creation of impact.