Michael Gericke

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Michael Gericke (born 1956) is an American graphic designer.

Education and career[edit]

Gericke was born in 1956[1] in Madison, Wisconsin. He studied visual communications and graphic design at the University of Wisconsin and earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1978. In 2010, he received the University's Distinguished Alumni Award.[2]

Gericke worked initially for Communication Arts of Boulder, Colorado, where he produced many projects combining graphics with three-dimensional design.[3] Since 1985, Gericke has been a principal of the New York office of Pentagram.[4]

He is a member of the Alliance Graphique Internationale (AGI), admitted in 1998.[5][6] His work is in the permanent collections of the Library of Congress,[7] the AIGA Design Archives[8] at the Denver Art Museum, the Poster Museum, Wilanów in Warsaw, the Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe Hamburg, and the Museum of Design, Zürich.[9] In 2022, Gericke was named to the Society for Experimental Graphic Design's (SEGD) inaugural Class of Fellows, in recognition of Gericke's leadership in the field of experimental and environmental graphic design.[10][11]

Work[edit]

Gericke has created projects for international clients, institutions, public agencies and cultural organizations. His graphic images are noted for their simplicity and broad appeal.[12] Architecture and design critic Paul Goldberger writes: "What ties Gericke's images together, beyond their inherent formal elegance, is a sense that he comes to every problem fresh and searches to find the essential qualities of the object he is representing."[13]

Logos and Branding[edit]

Gericke designed the iconographic logo for One Laptop per Child, the non-profit organization with the goal of empowering the world’s poorest children by providing them with low-cost, low-power, connected laptop computers.[14] The identity is a hieroglyph, designed to be universally understood by any culture, independent of language.[15]

In 1998, Gericke created, for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the name, logo[16] and visual identity for the two AirTrain systems in the New York metropolitan area.[17] Both the name and symbol describe the nature of the transport system: being the train to the plane.[18]

in 1994, Gericke created the symbol for the 1994 FIFA World Cup. The symbol's dual meaning represents a football flying in front of stadium stands, and an abstraction of the American flag, portraying both the sport and host country.[19]

Gericke designed the visual identity for the Big Ten collegiate conference. The design's lettering includes an embedded numeral "10" in the word "Big," which allows viewers to see "Big" and "10" in a single word.[20] He created the championship trophy and branding [21][22] for the new College Football Playoff system that was established in 2014. The trophy is awarded for the highest level of team achievement in the Division 1 NCAA sport.[23]

In 2013, with Pentagram partner Emily Oberman, Gericke designed the logo for 21st Century Fox.[24]

In 2015, with Pentagram partner Eddie Opara, Gericke designed the visual identity for the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum.[25]

In 2017, Gericke designed a logo and brand identity for NYC residential real estate listing platform Igluu.com. In 2022, Gericke led the brand redevelopment strategy for Inolex, a company focused on the design of sustainable ingredients.[26][27]

Public Memorial Work[edit]

In 2002, in collaboration with the Port Authority, Gericke designed the initial "viewing wall" for the World Trade Center site in Lower Manhattan. The wall was made of a screen-like grid of galvanized steel that allowed visitors to see directly into the site. A series of panels displayed the history of the World Trade Center, including the events of 9/11.[28] Architecture and design critic Paul Goldberger wrote about the project: "Against a simple gridded transparent wall that allows unobstructed views for all visitors to Ground Zero, Gericke combined black-and-white photographs and historical text depicting the rich history of Lower Manhattan and the rise and fall of the twin towers...It is simply a place where anyone can observe the work under way at Ground Zero and remember."[13]

In 2004, in collaboration with architects Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, Gericke designed "the first tangible element" of New York's Freedom Tower, its 200-ton inscribed cornerstone.[29] When the architectural designs for the tower were later changed, the cornerstone was moved to Hauppage, New York and installed as a permanent memorial to victims of 9-11.[30]

In 2005, Gericke and his firm Pentagram designed, with Port Authority architect Jacqueline Hanley, a memorial reliquary honoring the victims of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.[31]

Environmental Graphics[edit]

In 2004, Gericke and his firm Pentagram designed, with Entro Communications, the signage and wayfinding system for Terminal 1 at Toronto Pearson International Airport. Developed in tandem with the terminal architecture by Moshe Safdie and David Childs of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), the system is organized around information pylons and overhead directional signage designed for maximum visibility across the terminal's interior spaces.[32][33]

In 2006, Gericke and his firm Pentagram designed, with Entro Communications, the environmental graphics for University of Phoenix Stadium, home of the Arizona Cardinals.[34][35]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ "E-Museum: Michael Gericke". E-museum Museum fur Gestaltung Zurich.
  2. ^ "Art & Design alum Michael Gericke receives 2011 Distinguished UWM Alumni Award." Peck School of Arts, University of Wisconsin. May 6, 2011. Web. http://peckschoolnews.uwm.edu/news/2011/05/art-design-alum-michael-gericke-received-2011-distinguished-uwm-alumni-award.html
  3. ^ "Michael Gericke." Society for Experiential Graphic Design. n.d. Web. http://segd.org/tags/michael-gericke
  4. ^ Michael Gericke: Pentagram online biography. Web.
  5. ^ Michael Gericke: AGI online biography. Web. http://a-g-i.org/member-work/profile/180 Archived 2013-08-25 at the Wayback Machine
  6. ^ Bos, Ben & Elly, eds. "Michael Gericke." Alliance Graphique Internationale: Graphic Design Since 1950. Thames & Hudson. 2007. p. 452. ISBN 978-0-500-51342-2.
  7. ^ "[Pentagram posters including the theater, Amnesty International, Yale Graduate School, American Institute of Architects and others]". www.loc.gov. 1990. Retrieved 2023-02-14.
  8. ^ "Michael Gericke." AIGA Design Archives. n.d. Web. http://designarchives.aiga.org/#/entries/%2Bcredits%3A%22Michael%20Gericke%22/_/grid/relevance/desc/0/27/120
  9. ^ "E-Museum: Michael Gericke." Museum of Design Zurich. n.d. Web. http://sammlungen-archive.zhdk.ch/view/people/asitem/id/3241
  10. ^ Bray, Ashley (24 May 2022). "Meet the Inaugural 2022 SEGD Class of Fellows". www.signshop.com. Simmons-Boardman Publishing . Retrieved 25 Jan 2023.
  11. ^ "Gericke, Beeler, Johnson, Jacobson Are SEGD 'Classmates'". gdusa.com. Graphic Design USA. 2022. Retrieved 22 Jan 2023.
  12. ^ "Michael Gericke: Master of Simplicity." Graphis. February 10, 2010. Web. http://blog.graphis.com/the-mastery-and-simplicity-of-michael-gericke/
  13. ^ a b Goldberger, Paul. "Building Language." Profile: Pentagram Design. 2004. Phaidon Press. p. 217-219. ISBN 0-7148-4377-6.
  14. ^ "Mission." One Laptop Per Child. n.d. Web. http://one.laptop.org/about/mission
  15. ^ "One Laptop Per Child." New at Pentagram. Pentagram. February 2, 2007. Web. http://new.pentagram.com/2007/02/new-work-one-laptop-per-child-1/
  16. ^ "Logo Of The Day | 2012-04-18 | AirTrain". logooftheday.com. Retrieved 2015-09-06.
  17. ^ Louie, Elaine (1998-10-08). "CURRENTS: TRANSPORTATION; At Last, a Logo That Communicates". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-02-14.
  18. ^ "AirTrain." The Narrative Brand. n.d. Web. http://www.the-narrative-brand.com/Sighting/AirTrain
  19. ^ "World Cup USA '94". The Narrative Brand. Retrieved 1 September 2015.
  20. ^ "Why Do College Sports Fans Hate the Big Ten's Smart New Logo?". Retrieved 2015-09-06.
  21. ^ "The one piece of the BCS worth keeping (the crystal football) is replaced by a wagon-wheel coffee table". 14 July 2014. Retrieved 2015-09-06.
  22. ^ Scudder, Charles. "New College Football Trophy is a Work of Art". Dallas Morning News. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
  23. ^ SportsLabs. "College Football Playoff". collegefootballplayoff.com. Archived from the original on 6 September 2015. Retrieved 1 September 2015.
  24. ^ "21st Century Fox Unveils New Logo Designed by Pentagram." The Drum. May 11, 2013. Web. http://www.thedrum.co.uk/news/2013/05/11/21st-century-fox-unveils-new-logo-designed-pentagram
  25. ^ Stinson, Liz. "Our National Design Museum Releases a Free Font Designed by Masters". Wired. Retrieved 2015-09-06.
  26. ^ "Inolex: Brand identity for a company that designs sustainable ingredients for health, beauty and wellness". pentagram.com. Pentagram. 2022. Retrieved 20 Jan 2023.
  27. ^ "Inolex Rebels with Updated Logo, Website Refresh Fusing Science with Nature". www.cosmeticsandtoiletries.com. Cosmetics & Toiletries. 25 Oct 2022. Retrieved 29 Jan 2023.
  28. ^ "Ground Zero Viewing Wall." Society for Experiential Graphic Design. n.d. Web. https://segd.org/content/ground-zero-viewing-wall
  29. ^ Dunlap, David. "A 9/11 Cornerstone, Chiseled With a New York Accent". Retrieved September 6, 2015.
  30. ^ "Freedom Stone 9/11". Field Guide to U.S. Memorials and Monuments. Retrieved September 6, 2015.
  31. ^ DUNLAP, DAVID W. (18 February 2005). "At 9/11 Site, First Memorial Is for 2/26/93". The New York Times. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
  32. ^ Rochon, Lisa (2004-04-21). "Inches of brilliance enliven Terminal 1's same old, same old". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2023-02-14.
  33. ^ Makowski, Ann (2013-10-16). "Lester B. Pearson International Airport". segd.org. Retrieved 2023-02-14.
  34. ^ Makowski, Ann (2013-10-28). "Arizona Cardinals Stadium". segd.org. Retrieved 2023-02-14.
  35. ^ Bryony Gomez Palacio, Armin Vit. Graphic Design Referenced: A Visual Guide to the Language, Applications, and History of Graphic Design. Rockport Publishers. 2011. Print.

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