Wallpaper*’s Ali Morris recently interviewed Michael Bierut about his four decades of design experience. The interview covers everything from Bierut’s first day in New York as a young designer to his advice for those who are just starting out in the industry.
Morris writes:
Even if you haven’t heard of graphic designer Michael Bierut, his work is likely imprinted on your subconscious. His simplified brand mark for Mastercard – two overlapping circles with no type – graces over 2.3 billion credit cards worldwide. He was the creative force behind the iconic ‘H’ logo for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign, authored the brand identity for Saks Fifth Avenue, and designed the massive signage on the façade of The New York Times building in Midtown Manhattan.
Bierut was born in Ohio, and went on to study graphic design at the University of Cincinnati. In the summer of 1980, he moved to New York to pursue a career in the industry.
Since 1990, Bierut has been a partner at the renowned design firm Pentagram. Recently, after 34 years, he transitioned from leading his 12-person studio to an advisory role, collaborating with the firm’s partners on diverse projects.
Over Bierut’s impressive career, he has designed for a range of organisations including Disney, Slack, and Verizon. Morris notes that he has become especially known for his ability to employ type as both a functional and narrative element. In addition to his design work, Bierut holds the role of Senior Critic in Graphic Design at the Yale School of Art and is a prominent educator and writer.
In Morris’ conversation with Bierut, the two of them start by discussing his role at Pentagram:
Wallpaper*: Your role at Pentagram has recently changed, can you explain how and why?
Michael Bierut: Pentagram has this interesting structure where each partner runs an autonomous design studio within the firm. I did that for 34 years, running a little 12-person design studio. Each partner also has sole responsibility for finding clients and managing projects.
In 2023, Bierut decided to make a change. He found himself drawn to the role of mentoring other designers, rather than being the designer himself.
Pentagram was founded by people who saw themselves as hands-on designers who really cared about the craft of design, which I continue to care about, but the idea that every idea has to be mine started to seem less important.
He cites many examples of partners whose work he finds exciting: ‘Paula Scher, Michael Gericke, Abbott Miller, Luke Hayman, Emily Oberman, and newer designers like Matt Willey, Georgia Lupi, and Andrea Trabucco-Campos.’
Bierut says he divested himself of his team and made himself available to give guidance on any project within the office.
When an inquiry comes in, I get to do something quite delicious for me: I think about which of my partners is the perfect person to pull in on this. I either pass it to them and say, ‘Let me know when the curtain goes up and I’ll be in the first row clapping’, or I offer my help from the wings or even on stage.
Bierut highlights the excitement of working with clients from multiple industries, saying:
Clients represent an opportunity to learn, whether it’s a law firm, an academic think tank, a historic site, or a nonprofit. It’s the substance of those things that’s really compelling to me, and that goes all the way back to my childhood when I used my art ability to get into clubs I otherwise wouldn’t have been invited into.
At Novagram, we also enjoy working with clients from a range of industries: healthcare, aviation, winemaking, and finance, to name just a few.
What I’ve always liked about design is the opportunity to learn something interesting about the world.
In 2024, the Royal Society for Arts selected Michael Bierut to become an RDI (a Honorary Royal for Industry). Bierut said:
What struck me during the induction process was how limited the membership is – only 200 people, with just a fraction being honorary positions like mine. That was one surprising aspect. The other was the extraordinary breadth of how design is conceived and interpreted. As an American, I think we tend to see design as a mid-20th-century invention tied to business – industrial design, graphic design associated with ad agencies, corporate marketing, and so on. But the RSA’s roots go back much further, to the Industrial Revolution, emphasising invention, imagination, and creativity as engines of cultural expression and economic growth.
Bierut goes on to highlight the importance of including designers in the wider community of artists and creatives:
The definition of design at RSA is much broader. Of all the people named RDIs this year, I probably fit the most predictable mould – graphic design and commercial art. But there are also stage designers, costume designers, and landscape architects.
This human aspect of design can sometimes be lost, especially with the recent rise of AI, but Bierut believes that the RSA is helping to nourish creative communities:
Beyond the prestige and honour [of the RDI awards], I was impressed by how much the RSA cultivates a sense of community. They turn that community into purposeful interactions that help move the world forward for the greater good.
Next, Morris and Bierut discuss the 2024 United States presidential election. Bierut describes it as ‘a very wild ride’. The team that worked on the Kamala Harris campaign turned it around in 22 hours. Bierut, who got to spend some time with the team, says:
Having had some experience with political campaign graphics, seeing what they did and the fluency they had in standing that campaign up as fast as they did was really exhilarating to watch. The outcome may have been, I don’t want to say preordained, but no one doing this sort of work has the illusion that tweaking a logo could turn three battleground states. It’s not about hubris. Participating in it is exciting, even though many end up on the losing side.
Bierut describes the outcome of the election as disappointing, but says that ‘seeing a new generation of designers engage with these issues at that level was really exciting’.
On a larger scale, watching this messy, scary, and constantly evolving communications ecosystem is the story of our time as a graphic designer.
Speaking to the way that the industry has evolved since the start of his career, Bierut says:
A lot of my work in branding has been about giving clients a sense of permanence and control. We used to spend six months crafting a logo and a thick binder of rules to dictate its usage. That used to be reassuring. But now, it’s foolhardy to think anyone will have that kind of control again. The idea that the world seeks or is reassured by that level of control is questionable. We’re living in a time of such fluency that the only thing we can really hope to do is figure out how we’ll master it going forward as the ground keeps shifting beneath our feet.
At Novagram, we succeed in achieving this type of fluency for our clients. We create brands that are supple yet resilient: designed to thrive for the long term.
Of course, there are always newcomers aspiring to forge a career in design, and they will bring with them new ways of adapting to this ever-changing landscape.
W*: Do you feel sympathy for designers starting out in the industry today?
MB: Sympathy as in pity? Sometimes. If I were a young designer today, I think my head would explode. Back in the day, I would walk up and down bookstore aisles, digging deep into library catalogues, just seeking one book with a section on graphic design. Now, you have to confront this ceaseless deluge of visual input.
Bierut acknowledged the overwhelming abundance of information that is available to us today.
Today, there’s just so much information. I have sympathy for those navigating it, but I’m also excited to see how talented people respond, making it their own and breaking through the noise with original thinking.
Finally, Morris asks if there’s any advice that Bierut would give to someone starting out in their career in graphic design. He says:
I think the people who succeed are the ones who are curious. If you’re curious, you can use your talent as both an engine and a vehicle for your curiosity. I can’t think of many designers who have succeeded with an incurious mind. It’s not impossible, but it’s rare.
Curiosity is something you can have from day one – whether it’s your first day of school, your first job, or arriving in a new city. It doesn’t require experience or wisdom, which come later. But curiosity, that’s immediate.
This curiosity includes taking an interest in the wider context of each project:
When hiring, I looked for that curiosity. The last thing I wanted was for someone to be working on a task without understanding the bigger picture. I remember seeing puzzled expressions on new interns or team members when I explained the context of a project. They were just waiting to hear what they had to do and when it was due, so they wouldn’t let me down. But I wanted them to grasp the broader issues, even if it seemed over their heads at the time.
In closing, Bierut reflects on the start of his own career:
On my first day in New York City in 1980, I was so far over my head that I’m not sure I ever quite caught up.
In the four decades of Bierut’s career, the industry has changed almost beyond recognition. This interview highlights the importance of evolving with the times whilst maintaining a strong sense of community. For seasoned designers, or those just starting out, Bierut’s advice provides some much-needed inspiration.
At Novagram, we agree that staying curious leads to the creation of successful and interesting work. If you’re looking for a team that can handle your next design or digital project, get in touch.
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