Sponsored by the University of South Carolina School of Art

Presentation by Rob Carter, Libby Phillips Meggs and Sandra Wheeler, Virgina Commonwealth University

Beautifully designed and written, Meggs: Making Graphic Design History captures the life and work of Philip Baxter Meggs, the graphic designer, educator, historian, South Carolina native and author of the seminal A History of Graphic Design. Before Phil Meggs wrote his ground-breaking book, graphic design was left largely unchronicled. A History of Graphic Design offered designers and students of design a foundation on which to build, a starting point from which to move forward, and a context in which to establish graphic design’s place in history. This book is at once a retrospective of Phil Meggs' achievements as a historian, educator, and artist in his own right, a deserved tribute to his lasting influence on the graphic arts, and a loving memorial written by family, friends, and colleagues who were lucky enough to have known him.

Rob Carter is a professor of typography and graphic design at Virginia Commonwealth University, and has served as a visiting professor at the Gerrit Rietveld Academy in Amsterdam. For his work, he has received numerous awards from organizations such as the American Institute of Graphic Arts, New York Type Directors Club, New York Art Directors Club, Society of Typographic Arts, Creativity, and Print's regional design annual. He is the author of American Typography Today, the five-volume Working with Type series, and Digital Color and Type. He is also the co-author with Philip B. Meggs of Typographic Design: Form and Communication (four editions) and Typographic Specimens: The Great Typefaces.

Libby Phillips Meggs was married to Phil Meggs for thirty-eight years, and is the mother of their two children, Andrew and Elizabeth. She also enjoys a professional life that includes working as an advertising art director, graphic designer, writer, and illustrator. Born in Greenville, SC, she earned a BFA from Richmond Professional Institute in 1965. Highlights from her career include art directing Norman Rockwell and authoring and illustrating the award-winning children's book Go Home! The True Story of James the Cat. More books are in the works.

Sandra Wheeler is associate professor of graphic design at Virginia Commonwealth University, where she teaches in the department’s MFA and undergraduate programs. She is also active as a graphic designer and fine artist. From 1993–99 she was senior designer in Cambridge, MA, developing and designing interpretive exhibitions for numerous institutions, including New Mexico’s Office of Cultural Affairs; the Smithsonian, SITES; the U.S. National Park Service; and the Strong Museum. In Boston, she taught at Northeastern University and the Massachusetts College of Art. She coauthored and codesigned Working With Type 5: Exhibitions. Her work has been recognized by organizations such as the American Association of Museums and Print’s regional design annual.

5:30pm :: Social
6:30pm :: Lecture

This event is free to everyone.