Michael Bierut on Becoming a Graphic Designer

Preoccupations - Drawing Board to the Desktop - A Designer’s Path - NYTimes.com

IN 1972, when I was a sophomore in high school in suburban Cleveland, I was asked to do a poster for our drama club’s production of “Arsenic and Old Lace.” I found a nice big piece of cardboard, did the most elaborate piece of hand-lettering I could manage with a couple of black felt-tipped pens and turned it in to the director.

That was on a Friday. When I arrived for class on Monday, my poster was in every hallway, in every stairwell and on every bulletin board in school. Among my peers, I was considered a good artist, but the miracle of mass production took things to a different level. More people saw my poster than would see the play. It was then that I decided to become a graphic designer. My dream was to design album covers for rock bands.