Art has evolved drastically over the years, and there are hundreds of magnificent influential artists who have contributed greatly to the various movements. Today, I’m going to start a series aimed at recognizing these amazing people, and I’m going to start with one of my favorite designers: Chip Kidd.
Who is Chip Kidd?Born and raised in Shillington, a small town outside of Reading, Pennsylvania, Chip Kidd was just a normal kid who loved comic books. He lived an average life in a nondescript area and went to Pennsylvania State University, where he graduated with a degree in graphic design. From there, the things Chip went on to accomplish were huge.
Why does he matter?Shortly after he graduated, Chip went to work at Alfred A. Knopf in New York City as a junior assistant. Here, he moved up in the ranks and eventually became the art director for Knopf. Throughout his career, Kidd has produced amazing works of art, mostly for book covers. One of his most notable works was the T-Rex skeleton for the cover of Michael Crichton’s Jurassic Park. Although he did not create the logo for the movie, his T-Rex was used by Sandy Collora, who did create the logo. Interestingly enough, the Jurassic Park logo is the only movie logo to ever be featured within a movie’s universe, and much of that had to do with Chip Kidd’s design expertise.
Although he is most known for Jurassic Park, Chip Kidd also designed numerous book covers for renowned writers. Some easily recognizable covers are Haruki Murakami’s IQ84, the Time One Hundred Book, and the deluxe edition covers of Before Watchmen. However, Chip has designed hundreds of book covers. At one point, he was freelance designing 70 book covers per year, which quickly built up his portfolio.
Chip Kidd has been so substantial to the graphic design world that he has received numerous awards. These include: the National Design Award for Communication from Cooper-Hewitt in 2007, the International Center of Photography’s Infinity Award for Design in 1997, and an AIGA Medal in 2014. Kidd is also widely known as an expert on Batman, as he grew up loving the comics and became an integral part of the design for the comics as he grew older.
What can I learn from Chip Kidd?Every graphic designer, photographer, or just artist in general can learn a lot from Chip Kidd. His art direction is unmatched, as he has an eye for framing, concept, and typography. Every art student should study his works and take inspiration from him. Even if your art style is very different, understanding what factors made him successful will help you pave the way in your own discipline.
Is there an influential artist you want me to cover? Tweet me @JuliaSotnykova to let me know!
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