Amy B Scher

Paula Scher is a prominent American graphic designer, painter, and educator who has made significant contributions to the field of design. She is a partner at the design firm Pentagram, having joined in 1991. Scher began her career in the 1970s as an art director, where her distinctive and eclectic use of typography quickly gained recognition and became highly influential. Her educational background includes a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Tyler School of Art.

Throughout her career, Scher has worked on a wide range of projects, from album covers for CBS Records, where she designed as many as 150 covers annually, to comprehensive branding systems for major institutions like The Public Theater and The Museum of Modern Art. Her approach often involves reviving historical typefaces and design styles, infusing them with a modern sensibility. Scher has also been an educator for over two decades, teaching at institutions such as the School of Visual Arts and Yale University, focusing on typography and brand identity.

Paula Scher's career began in the 1970s, starting as a layout artist for Random House's children's book division. She then moved to CBS Records, where she worked in advertising and promotions before becoming an art director. During her tenure at CBS, she designed a prolific number of album covers, earning four Grammy nominations. Her work from this period was characterized by an eclectic approach to typography, often reviving historical typefaces and design styles. This innovative use of typography became a hallmark of her style and greatly influenced subsequent graphic design.

In the early 1980s, Scher began exploring influences from Art Deco and Russian Constructivism. After leaving Atlantic Records to work independently in 1982, she developed a unique typographic style that incorporated elements from these movements. While she did not directly copy early constructivist styles, she adapted their formal vocabulary to her own work, integrating outmoded typefaces into her designs. This period marked a significant evolution in her aesthetic, further solidifying her reputation for bold and experimental typographic solutions.

In 1984, Scher co-founded the design firm Koppel and Scher with Terry Koppel. Over the seven years of their partnership, they produced a variety of design work, including identities, packaging, book jackets, and advertising campaigns, notably the Swatch poster. Following the recession and Koppel's departure, Scher began consulting independently. In 1991, she joined the renowned design consultancy Pentagram as a partner in its New York office, where she has since led numerous high-profile branding and identity projects for a diverse clientele.

Scher's work has had a profound impact on the branding of cultural institutions. Her identity and promotional graphics system for The Public Theater, initiated in 1994, revolutionized theatrical promotion and influenced design for cultural organizations more broadly. Her approach often drew inspiration from street typography and historical styles, creating dynamic and engaging visual languages. Beyond her design practice, Scher has dedicated herself to education, teaching typography and brand identity for over two decades at prominent institutions like the School of Visual Arts and Yale University, shaping the next generation of designers.