Deborah Sussman facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Deborah Sussman
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Sussman in 2013
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| Born |
Deborah Sussman
May 26, 1931 |
| Died | August 20, 2014 (aged 83) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
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| Nationality | American |
| Education | Doctorate of Humane Letters at Bard College (1998) Institute of Design, Chicago (1950–1959) |
| Known for | Environmental graphic design |
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Notable work
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1984 Summer Olympics |
| Awards | AIGA medal (2004) |
Deborah Sussman (May 26, 1931 – August 20, 2014) was an American designer. She was a leader in a field called environmental graphic design. This type of design mixes graphic art with buildings and public spaces. Imagine making a whole city or event look amazing with colors, signs, and patterns! That's what she did.
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Early Life and Education
Deborah Sussman was born in Brooklyn, New York on May 26, 1931. Her father was a talented commercial artist. This means he created art for businesses.
Deborah loved art from a young age. She took classes at the Art Students League. She also went to summer school at Black Mountain College. She studied acting and painting at Bard College in New York. In 1951, she went to the Institute of Design in Chicago. This school was started by a famous artist named László Moholy-Nagy. Deborah earned a degree in graphic design there. Later, in 1998, she received a special honorary degree from Bard College.
Her Design Career
Working with Charles and Ray Eames
In 1953, Deborah started working for Charles and Ray Eames. They were very famous designers. She worked there for about 10 years. She helped design many things. This included print materials, museum exhibits, and films. She even designed instructions for a fun card game called House of Cards. She also traveled to Mexico to learn about folk culture for a film.
Starting Her Own Company
After working with the Eameses, Deborah started her own design business in 1968. Four years later, in 1972, she married Paul Prejza. He was an architect and city planner. In 1980, they started a company together called Sussman/Prejza & Co. They focused on "urban branding." This means they created a unique visual style for entire cities. They designed looks for cities like Philadelphia and Santa Monica.
Designing the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics
One of their most famous projects was designing the look for the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. Before Deborah got involved, the Olympics logo was just red, white, and blue. It looked too much like just the United States. Deborah and her team wanted to show the culture of Los Angeles. This included influences from Mexico, Japan, and India.
They mixed traditional American flag colors with new shapes and bright colors. This created a unique and festive look. An architect named Jon Jerde called it "Festive Federalism." They made 150 different designs for the games. This visual style was so good that Time magazine called it the "Best of the Decade."
Other Cool Design Projects
Sussman/Prejza & Co. worked on many other exciting projects. They designed the offices for Hasbro, a big toy company. They also worked with the City of Santa Monica. Other projects included:
- Designing signs and directions for Disney World.
- Creating wayfinding systems for the city of Philadelphia.
- Designing exhibits for the Museum of the African Diaspora.
- Creating the identity for the Cleveland Cavaliers basketball team in 1993.
Awards and Recognition
Deborah Sussman was known for her bold and colorful designs. She often mixed words and letters into the environment. In 2004, she received an AIGA medal. This is a very important award in graphic design. In 2013, a gallery called WUHO showed her early work. This included her time at Eames Studio and her Olympic designs. She also received the SEGD's Golden Arrow Award in 2006.
Her old design papers and works from 1931 to 1968 are now kept at the Getty Research Institute.
Death
Deborah Sussman passed away on August 19, 2014. She was 83 years old and died from breast cancer.
