Thomas H. Geismar (born July 15, 1931) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

graphic design Graphic design is a profession, academic discipline and applied art whose activity consists in projecting visual communications intended to transmit specific messages to social groups, with specific objectives. Graphic design is an interdiscip ...

er.

Biography

Thomas H. Geismar was born on July 15, 1931 in

Glen Ridge, New Jersey Glen Ridge is a borough in Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough’s population was 7,802, reflecting an increase of 275 (+3.7%) from the 2010 census count of 7,527,

. Geismar studied concurrently at the

Rhode Island School of Design The Rhode Island School of Design (RISD , pronounced "Riz-D") is a private art and design school in Providence, Rhode Island. The school was founded as a coeducational institution in 1877 by Helen Adelia Rowe Metcalf, who sought to increase the ...

and

Brown University Brown University is a private research university in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providenc ...

. He received a master's degree in graphic design from

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the w ...

, School of Art and Architecture. After school, he joined the army for two years. Geismar met

Ivan Chermayeff Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv (formerly Brownjohn, Chermayeff & Geismar and Chermayeff & Geismar) is a New York-based branding and graphic design firm. It is currently led by partners Tom Geismar and Sagi Haviv. About It was founded in 1957 b ...

in Yale and in 1957, they founded the firm Brownjohn, Chermayeff & Geismar (now

Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv (formerly Brownjohn, Chermayeff & Geismar and Chermayeff & Geismar) is a New York-based branding and graphic design firm. It is currently led by partners Tom Geismar and Sagi Haviv. About It was founded in 1957 b ...

) along with Robert Brownjohn. Geismar has designed more than a hundred

corporate identity A corporate identity or corporate image is the manner in which a corporation, firm or business enterprise presents itself to the public (such as customers and investors as well as employees). The corporate identity is typically visualized by ...

programs and established abstract corporate symbols. The unifying element in his work is the repetition of symbols which gives new life to the form. In 1960, he proposed a radical mark for

Chase Manhattan Bank JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., doing business as Chase Bank or often as Chase, is an American national bank headquartered in New York City, that constitutes the consumer and commercial banking subsidiary of the U.S. multinational banking and fi ...

which was the repetition of four shapes around a square to form an octagon. It was met with resistance but stood out from competition, leading other corporations to create abstracted corporate logos. His designs for

Xerox Xerox Holdings Corporation (; also known simply as Xerox) is an American corporation that sells print and digital document products and services in more than 160 countries. Xerox is headquartered in Norwalk, Connecticut (having moved from St ...

Best Products Best Products Company, Inc., or simply Best, was a chain of United States, American catalog showroom retail stores founded by Sydney and Frances Lewis in 1957 and formerly headquartered in Richmond, Virginia. The company was in existence for four ...

, Gemini Consulting, PBS,

Univision Univision () is an American Spanish-language free-to-air television network owned by TelevisaUnivision. It is the United States' largest provider of Spanish-language content. The network's programming is aimed at the Latino public and include ...

Rockefeller Center Rockefeller Center is a large complex consisting of 19 commercial buildings covering between 48th Street and 51st Street in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. The 14 original Art Deco buildings, commissioned by the Rockefeller family, span th ...

and, most notably,

Mobil Mobil is a petroleum brand owned and operated by American oil and gas corporation ExxonMobil. The brand was formerly owned and operated by an oil and gas corporation of the same name, which itself merged with Exxon to form ExxonMobil in 1999. ...

(1964) have received worldwide acclaim. Geismar has also had major responsibility for many of the firm's exhibition designs and world's fair pavilions. His projects include such major tourist attractions as the

Ellis Island Immigration Museum Ellis Island is a federally owned island in New York Harbor, situated within the U.S. states of New York and New Jersey, that was the busiest immigrant inspection and processing station in the United States. From 1892 to 1954, nearly 12 mill ...

, the

Statue of Liberty Museum The Statue of Liberty Museum is located on Liberty Island in New York City. The museum opened on May 16, 2019, and is focused on the creation, meaning, and history of the Statue of Liberty (formally ''Liberty Enlightening the World''), a large sta ...

, the

Truman Presidential Library The Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum is the presidential library and resting place of Harry S. Truman, the 33rd president of the United States (1945–1953), his wife Bess and daughter Margaret, and is located on U.S. Highway ...

, and the redesigned

Star-Spangled Banner "The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States. The lyrics come from the "Defence of Fort M'Henry", a poem written on September 14, 1814, by 35-year-old lawyer and amateur poet Francis Scott Key after witnessing the bo ...

exhibition at the

Smithsonian National Museum of American History The National Museum of American History: Kenneth E. Behring Center collects, preserves, and displays the heritage of the United States in the areas of social, political, cultural, scientific, and military history. Among the items on display is t ...

. He has received major awards in the field, including one of the first Presidential Design Awards for helping to establish a national system of standardized transportation symbols. Geismar was awarded the AIGA medal in 1979. In 1998, he was inducted into the

Art Directors Club Hall of Fame The Art Directors Club Hall of Fame was established in 1971, by the Art Directors Club of New York, a professional organization in the design and creative industries. The Art Directors Club selects its honorees from those "who have made significant ...

. In 2014, he was awarded the

National Design Award The American National Design Awards, founded in 2000, are funded and awarded by Cooper-Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum. There are seven official design categories, and three additional awards. Supplemental awards can be given at the discretio ...

for Lifetime Achievement along with Chermayeff and the School of Visual Arts’ 26th Masters Series Award recipient.

Books

* Chermayeff, Ivan and Tom Geismar. (2006) ''Watching Words Move.'' New York: Chronicle Books * Chermayeff, Ivan, Tom Geismar, and Steff Geissbuhler. (2003) ''designing:'' New York: Graphis * Chermayeff & Geismar Inc. (2000) ''TM: Trademarks Designed by Chermayeff & Geismar.'' New York: Princeton Architectural Press * Geismar, Thomas H., Harvey Kahn, Ralph Sessions, Dave Hoffman (photographer). (1998) ''Spiritually Moving: A Collection of American Folk Art Sculpture.'' New York: Harry Abrams

External links

Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv
website
Tom Geismar
website
Interview with Design Legend Tom Geismar
website

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Geismar, Tom 1931 births Living people American graphic designers Brown University alumni Rhode Island School of Design alumni AIGA medalists

Biography

Books

External links

See also

References