AudraJune: Designer research project part 3: April Geiman

April Greiman is a trailblazer of graphic design. She boldly entered a field that was predominantly male and worked with the Mac and other revolutionary technology. Greiman was born in 1948 in New York City, but opted to move to LA after school. She earned her BFA at the Kansas City Art Institute and was a graduate student in Switzerland. She currently is the owner and principal for the design company Made In Space, Inc.

According to AIGA, Greiman was the director of the graphic arts program at CalArts (California Institute of the Arts) in 1982. She initiated changing the name of the program from "graphic arts" to "visual communication", since she felt that graphic arts was "too limiting." This change showed Greiman's insight into the ever-changing design field. Upon reading this, I was reminded that OSU's department is named Visual Communication as well.

Greiman is a huge proponent of Mac use in design. She is only interested in hiring designers who collaborate, rather than work as "lone geniuses."

She claims to be "all for true meaning, where it can be excavated or found." I feel that this motto is relevant for designers who want to create meaningful works, rather than simply advertisements aimed to sell something, or work that is just meant to "look pretty."

I am extremely inspired by April Greiman's innovation and trailblazing. She is a fearless leader in design. By instigating the use of Macs and causing design to be seen as a communication technique and a collaborative effort, she has revolutionized the world of design.

Sources: Women of Design by Bryony Gomez-Palacio and Armin Vit, 2008, published by F+W Publishing, print.

http://www.aiga.org/content.cfm/medalist-aprilgreiman