ARTOGRAPH 5: LOU DORFSMAN
Virginia Smith [Editor/Art Director]
Virginia Smith [editor/art director]: ARTOGRAPH 5: LOU DORFSMAN. New York City: Baruch College, CUNY, 1985. First edition. A near-fine minus soft cover book with thick printed wrappers and minor shelf wear. First article title page has faint ink smudges near the top fore edge. Otherwise, interior unmarked and very clean. Out-of-print.
10.75 x 11.75 soft cover book with 36 pages and 100 b/w illustrations. Each issue of "Artograph" is a monograph on a major contemporary in the field of graphics . . . . The aim is to present the artist to the reader as completely as possible, through factual and biographical data, through examples of his/her art, and especially through the artist's own words, given in a lengthy personal interview with "Artograph" students.
- Interview: Lou Dorfsman
- Interview: Frank Stanton on the Dorfsman style
- Interview: Saul Bass on corporate design [includes 11 examples of Bass's work]
- Interview: Eileen Schultz on Lou Dorfsman and the perfect portfolio
- Interview: Burt Wolf on Dorfsman the freelancer
- Interview: John Hejduk on the education of a designer
- Bibliographical Data and Bibliography
From the web site for Design is History: "Dorfsman studied at the Cooper Union, where he received a four-year scholarship, and it was not long after his graduation that he began working for CBS. In 1964 he became the design director for all of CBS. As the design director he oversaw the use of the infamous CBS eye logo, produced annual reports and other promotional materials and designed the interior signage and graphics of the entire CBS building, designed by architect Eero Saarinen. One of his most revered works was the Gastrotypographicalassemblage, a 35-foot long wall of carved wooden words, created for the dining area in the building."
From Lou Dorfsman's New York Times obituary (Sunday, Oct. 26, 2008): In 1988 a book, "Dorfsman & CBS," documenting his work was published. A review in the Times said, "Leafing through this abundantly illustrated book, one is struck by the fact that television nurtured one of print's most innovative graphic designers."
From the book: "How did CBS earn such accolades as "the Tiffany of the networks" and the "the corporation with class?"
Over and above its history of savvy showmanship and its esteemed news division CBS has consistently wrapped itself in an aura of elegance. Sophistication permeates the company's physical environment, its advertising, its design projects, and every form of communication that bears its name. And the man who has coordinated, projected and polished that image for the past 40 years is Lou Dorfsman, Vice President and Creative Director of Advertising and Design. In the words of William Paley, founder of CBS; 'CBS has a corporate commitment to excellence in design, and Lou Dorfsman is the one whose genius has translated that commitment into reality. Deservedly, he has become a legend in the annals of commercial design."
Lou Dorfsman has been studied, exhibited, published and honored with just about every award invented by the international graphic arts community. His work for CBS and other corporate clients has raised the business world's consciousness on the whole subject of corporate design.
The retrospective of Dorfsman's career at CBS documents 40 years of memorable historic events and entertainment, from epic news features like the moon landing to inspired promotions for the NFL. Above all, the book demystifies the broadcasting and advertising business with some straight talk from this master designer. Dorfsman and CBS is packed with hundreds of ads, promotional packages, books, brochures, on-air promotions, exhibits and design projects that demonstrate Dorfsman's all-encompassing talents as an advertising man and a creative director.