Women of Design: Influence and Inspiration from the Original Trailblazers to the New Groundbreakers

The immense body of work produced by graphic designers around the world is astoundingly varied, rich and widely celebrated. Yet in publications, conferences, judging panels and other public realms, women designers tend to be outnumbered by their male counterparts whose appearances, work and achievements are constantly in the spotlight - luckily, it's a reversing trend. While Women of Design does not attempt to relieve the imbalance, it does bring full attention to the wonderful work, careers, and contributions of women designers, writers, teachers and entrepreneurs around the world.

The women in this book have been divided into three groups, representative of the time in which their influence was most heartily felt: Groundbreakers, Pathfinders and Trailblazers. These three generations have helped shape the modern landscape of design. Included are interviews with April Greiman, Deborah Sussman, Louise Fili, Ann Willoughby, Ellen Lupton, Jennifer Sterling, Debbie Millman, Paula Scher, Jessica Helfand, Margo Chase, Luba Lukova, Petrula Vrontikis, Sharon Werner, Paola Antonelli and Marian Bantjes.

Explore the work, ideals and ventures - all at the helm of these women - that have helped define the last 50 years of the graphic design profession, as represented by the women who helped establish design's relevance, importance and impact and the ones that carry their tradition into new territory. By asking the handful of female design stars to identify other talented women, then asking those women to suggest more still, Women of Design creates a web of influence and excellence that proves these women are worthy of attention.

More than half of the graphic designers in the U.S. are women, yet they are less likely to be invited to speak at conferences or to offer expert opinions to the media. Their award-winning work is seen everywhere, but with few exceptions, they are not celebrated in the same way as their male counterparts. Women of Design explores this contradiction while at the same time shining a light on the work of women designers, both industry veterans and influential newcomers. By asking the handful of female design stars to identify other talented women, then asking those women to suggest more still, Women of Design creates a web of influence and excellence that proves these women are worthy of attention.