My Creative Hero: Paula Scher
Riley is a senior art director at Performance Art in NYC. Riley grew up in Santa Monica, CA and completed her undergraduate at the University of Miami where she studied creative advertising and art. Riley loves going to flea markets, reading tarot, watching sunsets and is on the hunt for the perfect breakfast burrito in NYC.
LBB> Who would you say is your creative hero?
Riley> Paula Scher, one of the most influential graphic designers of our time. She famously says in her obituary she will be known as the “Designer of the Boston album cover” but there is truly so much more to her.
LBB> How long has this person been important to you and what are your first memories of meeting them or coming across their work?
Riley> I first became aware of Paula Scher my sophomore year of college in my first ever graphic design class. I was immediately hooked and she was one of the reasons I fell in love with design. After that semester, I changed my major from early education to creative advertising with a minor in graphic design. Funny enough, Paula also found her passion for design her sophomore year of college after trying and failing as a painter. To this day, I still refer back to Paula’s work when looking for inspiration.
LBB> If it’s someone you personally know, how did you get to know them and how has your relationship evolved over the years? If you don’t know this person, how did you go about finding to learn more about them and their work?
Riley> One of the best Christmas gifts I ever received was a copy of Paula’s book, ‘Make it Bigger’ from my brother, which sits at my desk where I work each day. I desperately wanted to know more about this designer who hated Helvetica (which seemed like blasphemy to me at the time). Instead, Paula advocated that you should illustrate with type. Hearing that hit me so hard I almost fell out of my seat.
I was also fascinated by her early career designing album covers and her process. It’s an inspiring thing to read the early stories of how Paula worked her way up from bottom of the totem pole to where she is now.
LBB> Why is the person such an inspiration to you?
Riley> She has been the North Star throughout my entire journey as a growing creative and is the voice in my head reminding me why it’s so important to take risks. But also, to always have reasoning behind why you took those risks. She was one of few women in a male-dominated industry and used her work as proof that she deserved a seat at the table. She is an example to me, of someone who developed her own style and stayed true to herself throughout her entire career. I also get the sense that she just has amazing taste in everything.
LBB> How does this person influence you in your approach to your creative work?
Riley> Bright colours and bold type. When I first began designing, these were the only things that mattered to me because of Paula’s influence. I felt it unlocked this world of creativity within me and it felt so exciting.
In a recent interview Paula says, “I walk down the street and think about how I’d redo everything. I always wanted to be an art director of New York where I could just walk over and say, ‘Change that.’” I love the idea of the world around us being a canvas and a constant space of inspiration. I like to walk around New York and think, “WWPSD?” or “what would Paula Scher do?”
LBB> What piece or pieces of this person’s work do you keep coming back to and why?
Riley> The Public Theater rebrand still impacts me every time I see it and has forever impacted my own design sensibilities. I had never seen someone use typography in such an unconventional way. Now that I live in New York, I see even more meaning to this work as she was inspired by the gridded and angled streets of Manhattan. In this way, Paula creates work that is relatable while also always pushing the boundaries of what is considered mainstream.
