Herbert Lubalin, Art’39, was an innovative graphic designer, typographer, and art director for several advertising agencies. He was vice president, art director and creative director of the Suder & Hennessey design firm and advertising agency.  Herb Lubalin was responsible for the redesign of The Saturday Evening Post, The New Leader, Reader’s Digest and Eros magazines.

He is famous as the  typographer and designer behind the Avant Garde typeface, which he created for Avant Garde Magazine. He was part of the founding team of the International Typeface Corporation (ITC).  (Learn about ITC)  He created numerous typefaces.

Th US Post Office chose Herb Lubalin to design the Liberty Bell Air-Mail stamp announced in 1959 and issued in 1960.

Air Mail Stamp designed by Herb Lubalin

In 1964, he established a design company called Herb Lubalin, Inc.

Herb’s career spanned more than thirty years.  He won more than 500 professional awards, including eight gold medals and eight silver medals from the Art Directors Club of New York.  In 1962 he was named Art Director of the Year by the National Society of Art Directors and in 1977 he was inducted into the Art Directors Club Hall of Fame.

He was a visiting professor at The Cooper Union and the designer of the Logo shown here.

Herbert Lubalin received the 1964 President’s Citation and the 1965 Augustus Saint Gaudens Award.  He was inducted into The Cooper Union Hall of Fame in 2009.

References:

NY Times Article “News From The World of Stamps,” Dec. 6, 1959.

NY Times Obituary, “Herb Lubalin, Graphic Designer For Publications And Advertising,” By David Bird, May 26, 1981.