Alvin Eisenman (June 18, 1921 – September 3, 2013) was an American graphic designer and educator throughout the last half of the 20th century. He was most notable for founding and heading the Yale School of Art's graduate program in

graphic design Graphic design is a profession, academic discipline and applied art that involves creating visual communications intended to transmit specific messages to social groups, with specific objectives. Graphic design is an interdisciplinary branch of ...

beginning in 1951 — the first graduate program in graphic design in the United States. He remained the director of that program until his retirement in 1990, at which point he was succeeded by Sheila Levrant de Bretteville. Eisenman continued to teach in the program through the 1990s.

Biography

Raised in rural DuBois, Pennsylvania, Eisenman did his undergraduate work in graphic arts at

Dartmouth College Dartmouth College ( ) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, Dartmouth is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the America ...

. After World War II, Eisenman took a position as a designer for the

McGraw-Hill McGraw Hill is an American education science company that provides educational content, software, and services for students and educators across various levels—from K-12 to higher education and professional settings. They produce textbooks, ...

Book Company. By 1950, Eisenman was in

New Haven New Haven is a city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound. With a population of 135,081 as determined by the 2020 U.S. census, New Haven is the third largest city in Co ...

, first in the role as a designer for the Yale Press and soon becoming a leader in establishing a graduate program for graphic design at Yale. For the early program, Eisenman drew faculty from the

Royal College of Art The Royal College of Art (RCA) is a public university, public research university in London, United Kingdom, with campuses in South Kensington, Battersea and White City, London, White City. It is the only entirely postgraduate art and design uni ...

in London (as part of a faculty exchange system) and recruited liberal arts graduates from Yale,

Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher lear ...

and 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 th ...

. The Yale graphic design program in the 1950s was successful in bringing together established and upcoming designers such as

Paul Rand Paul Rand (born Peretz Rosenbaum; August 15, 1914 – November 26, 1996) was an American art director and graphic designer. He was best known for his corporate logo designs, including the logos for IBM, United Parcel Service, UPS, Enron, Morni ...

, Herbert Matter, Armin Hofmann, Bradbury Thompson, Wolfgang Weingart, Lorraine Ferguson,

Josef Albers Josef Albers ( , , ; March 19, 1888March 25, 1976) was a German-born American artist and Visual arts education, educator who is considered one of the most influential 20th-century art teachers in the United States. Born in 1888 in Bottrop, Westp ...

, Alan Fletcherbr>
Lester Beall and Alexey Brodovitchbr>
. Eisenman is interviewed in the 2010 film ''The Visual Language of Herbert Matter'' discussing Matter at Yale. From 1960 to 1963, Eisenman was also head of the American Institute of Graphic Arts. He was awarded the AIGA medal in 1990.

References

* "Graphic Design celebrates 50th birthday," '' Yale Daily News'', March 29, 2001

* “The Yale Legacy” by Anne Ghory-Goodma

* "Thoughts on Paul Rand" by Henry Steine

American graphic designers People from DuBois, Pennsylvania 2013 deaths 1921 births Yale School of Art faculty Artists from Connecticut Dartmouth College alumni {{graphic-designer-stub AIGA medalists