Alexander Isley (born ) is an American

graphic designer A graphic designer is a professional within the graphic design and graphic arts industry who assembles together images, typography, or motion graphics to create a piece of design. A graphic designer creates the graphics primarily for publishe ...

and educator.

Early life and education

Alexander Isley was born in Durham, North Carolina and studied at

Durham Academy Durham Academy refer to: *Durham Academy, North Carolina, an independent school in Durham, North Carolina, United States * Durham Academy, Ushaw Moor, a secondary school in Ushaw Moor, County Durham, England See also *Durham (disambiguation) Durha ...

, the

University of North Carolina School of the Arts The University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA) is an arts school in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. It grants high school, undergraduate, and graduate degrees. Founded in 1963 as the North Carolina School of the Arts by then-Governo ...

(high school visual arts diploma). Isley initially wanted to become an architect like his father but discovered design upon enrolling in

North Carolina State University North Carolina State University (NC State) is a public land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina. Founded in 1887 and part of the University of North Carolina system, it is the largest university in the Carolinas. The universi ...

, where he received a degree in Environmental Design. He later attended the Cooper Union School of Art in New York and received a BFA in graphic design. In 1994, Isley married Veronica Burke.

Career

In 1984, Isley joined

Tibor Kalman Tibor George Kalman (July 6, 1949 – May 2, 1999) was an American graphic designer of Hungarian origin, well known for his work as editor-in-chief of ''Colors'' magazine. Early life Kalman was born on July 6, 1949, in Budapest, to parents Ma ...

's influential M & Co. as senior designer. He held this position until 1987, when he joined ''Spy'' Magazine in 1987 as the first full-time art director. At ''Spy'', he was tasked with building upon Steven Doyle's initial formatting and was awarded gold and silver medals from the Society of Publication Designers. In 1988, he founded Alexander Isley Inc. in New York City. In 1995, Isley moved the studio to Redding,

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

. The studio has worked on branding projects for Youth Service America, Armani Jeans and Goodwill, among others. In 2004, Isley became the president of

AIGA The American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) is a professional organization for design. Its members practice all forms of communication design, including graphic design, typography, interaction design, user experience, branding and identity ...

New York and an AIGA Fellow in 2013 after being a board member from 1988 to 1990. In addition to his professional career, Isley taught Design and Typography at the

School of Visual Arts The School of Visual Arts New York City (SVA NYC) is a private for-profit art school in New York City. It was founded in 1947 and is a member of the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design. History This school was started by ...

from 1988 to 1990; Exhibit Design at the

Cooper Union The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art (Cooper Union) is a private college at Cooper Square in New York City. Peter Cooper founded the institution in 1859 after learning about the government-supported École Polytechnique in ...

in 1992; and was a Critic and Lecturer at

Yale 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 wo ...

from 1996 to 2011.

Honors and awards

* Terry Sanford Scholarship to the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, 1979 *

Art Directors Club of New York The Art Directors Club of New York is an organization for art directors in New York City. It was founded in 1920, and has grown as an industry group, promoting art directors' work through exhibitions and awards, including the annual DESI award for ...

Herb Lubalin Memorial Award, 1984 *

National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the federa ...

International Design Education Fellowship, 1984 * "The I.D. 40" honoree: I.D. Magazine’s survey of the country's leading design innovators, 1990 * Federal Design Achievement Award * Distinguished Alumnus, NC State University, 2000 * Permanent collection,

Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street (Manhattan), 53rd Street between Fifth Avenue, Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It plays a major role in developing and collecting modern art, ...

* Permanent collection,

Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum is a design museum housed within the Andrew Carnegie Mansion in Manhattan, New York City, along the Upper East Side's Museum Mile (New York City), Museum Mile. It is one of 19 museums that fall under the ...

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...

* AIGA Fellow, 2013 *

AIGA Medal Following is a list of AIGA medalists who have been awarded the American Institute of Graphic Arts medal. On its website, AIGA says "The medal of the AIGA, the most distinguished in the field, is awarded to individuals in recognition of their exc ...

, 2014

Bibliography

* Bos, Ben and Bos, Elly. AGI: Graphic Design Since 1950, Thames and Hudson, 2007. * Friedl, Friedrich. Typography: When, Who, How, Konemann, 1998. * Friedman, Mildred. Graphic Design in America: A Visual Language History, Abrams/Walker Art Center, 1989. * Heller, Martin. Who’s Who in Graphic Design, Werd-Verlag, 1994. * Heller, Steven. Graphic Wit: The Art of Humor in Design, Watson-Guptill, 1991. * Jackson, Kenneth T., ed. The Encyclopedia of New York City, Yale University Press, 1995. * Lupton, Ellen. Mixing Messages: Graphic Design in Contemporary Culture, Princeton Architectural Press, 1996. * Miller, R. Craig. U. S. Design: 1975-2000, Prestel-Verlag, 2001.

References

External links