Paula Scher

Paula Scher
Name	Paula Scher
Birth date	1948
Birth place	Washington, D.C.
Occupation	Graphic designer, painter, educator
Years active	1970s–present
Employer	Pentagram
Notable works	The Public Theater identity, Citi Bank identity, Bring in 'da Noise, Bring in 'da Funk posters

Paula Scher is an American graphic designer, painter, and educator known for bold typographic work and large-scale identity systems. She gained prominence through work for cultural institutions, corporations, and public projects, and has been influential in contemporary graphic design and visual arts communities. Scher combines modernist typography with vernacular sign painting and urban influences, producing identities, posters, album covers, and environmental graphics.

Early life and education

Scher was born in Washington, D.C. and raised in a time shaped by postwar American culture and urban development. She attended University of Massachusetts Amherst briefly before transferring to the School of Visual Arts in New York City, where she studied under practitioners connected to the New York School of design and corporate identity movements. During her formative years she was exposed to the practices of designers associated with Herb Lubalin, Saul Bass, and institutions such as the Museum of Modern Art and the Cooper Union community.

Career

Scher began her career at the design studio of Will Burtin-influenced agencies and later worked for CBS Records and Atlantic Records, designing album covers and promotional materials for artists connected to the music industry. In the 1970s she co-founded the boutique studio Koppel & Scher with cultural ties to New York City publishers and theatre companies. In the 1990s she joined the Pentagram partnership in New York City, collaborating with partners linked to international design networks including Michael Bierut and Lennie Maleska-era practitioners. At Pentagram she led complex identity projects for clients such as The Public Theater, Citi, Microsoft, Windows, KCRW-type cultural broadcasters, and large civic commissions for municipal clients like New York City Department of Transportation-style agencies. Her practice has intersected with programs and organizations such as the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, the AIGA, and the Type Directors Club.

Notable works and projects

Scher’s identity for The Public Theater reinterpreted historic Shakespeare in the Park posters and became an emblem for off-Broadway institutions. Her branding for Citi transformed a banking iconography conversation alongside other corporate identities like those for Microsoft and media brands such as Rolling Stone-era publications. She created poster systems for theatrical productions including Bring in 'da Noise, Bring in 'da Funk, and album art for musicians connected to CBS Records and Warner Bros. Records. Environmental graphics and wayfinding commissions include projects akin to branding for large urban cultural districts and transit-related identities comparable to systems used by Metropolitan Transportation Authority (New York)-type organizations. Her paintings have been exhibited in venues such as the Museum of Arts and Design and contemporary galleries associated with Art Basel and biennial circuits.

Design style and influences

Scher’s style synthesizes influences from Swiss Style modernism, Constructivism, and vernacular signage of New York City neighborhoods, producing typographic compositions that reference Helvetica-era rationalism and hand-lettered traditions. She cites inspirations among figures like Jan Tschichold, El Lissitzky, Alexander Rodchenko, Herb Lubalin, and contemporaries including Milton Glaser and Massimo Vignelli. Her approach often employs bold type, dynamic scale shifts, and layered textures that echo urban posters, subway graffiti, and public signage seen in districts such as SoHo (Manhattan) and Harlem. Scher’s work dialogues with movements and institutions including Bauhaus, De Stijl, and the graphic programs of twentieth-century corporations and cultural centers.

Awards and recognition

Over her career Scher has received honors from organizations such as the AIGA, the Cooper Hewitt National Design Awards, the Type Directors Club, and international festival juries like Prix Ars Electronica-style competitions. She has been inducted into professional halls and received lifetime achievement awards comparable to those granted by the Design Museum and major arts foundations. Her exhibitions and monographs have been featured by institutions including the Museum of Modern Art, the Walker Art Center, and the National Portrait Gallery-type venues.

Teaching and writing

Scher has taught at institutions such as the Cooper Union, the School of Visual Arts, and guest-lectured at universities like Yale University, Pratt Institute, and Rhode Island School of Design. She has contributed essays and interviews to design publications affiliated with the AIGA, Print (magazine), and academic presses, and participated in conferences hosted by entities like TED and international design congresses. Her written and spoken work addresses issues of typography, identity, and the role of design in civic life.

Category:American graphic designers Category:Pentagram partners