Michael Schwab (designer)

Michael Schwab (born 1952) is an American graphic designer and illustrator, he is the Principal at Michael Schwab Studio in San Anselmo, California.[1] He was one of the founders of the San Francisco Bay Area postmodern movement in graphic design, that later became known as the "Pacific Wave".[2]

Michael Schwab
Born1952 (age 71–72)
EducationEast Texas State University, School of Visual Arts, ArtCenter College of Design
Occupation(s)Designer, illustrator
MovementPacific Wave design movement
Websitehttps://michaelschwab.com/

Biography edit

Michael Schwab was born and raised in Ardmore, Oklahoma.[3] In 1970, he attended East Texas State University (now known as Texas A&M University–Commerce), where he remained for two years.[4] Followed by one year of study of Advertising at School of Visual Arts (SVA) and then study at ArtCenter College of Design, the latter was where he received his degree in Graphic Design.[3] In 1975, he moved to San Francisco to work as a poster artist.[4]

In the early 1980s a few San Francisco–based designers were nicknamed “The Michaels” because they all had the same name (Schwab, alongside Mabry, Cronan, Manwaring, Vanderbyl), and later they were known as the "Pacific Wave" according to historian Steven Heller.[5][6][7][2]

Some of Schwab's more popular works were logos designed for the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, produced during the 1990s.[8] His clients have include Nike, Wells Fargo, Amtrak, Pebble Beach, Muhammad Ali, Robert Redford, and others.[9]

Schwab's work is included in many public museum collections including Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco,[10] San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMoMA),[11] Victoria and Albert Museum,[12] National Portrait Gallery,[13] among others.

Bibliography edit

  • The Graphic Art of Michael Schwab. Merrill C, Berman (introduction), Denise Urell (introduction). B. Martin Pedersen. 2000. ISBN 9781888001969.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)

References edit

  1. ^ Graphic Design USA. Watson-Guptill Publications. 1997. p. 175. ISBN 978-0-8230-6518-9.
  2. ^ a b "Michael: They Have Come To Symbolize San Francisco Design". Newspapers.com. The San Francisco Examiner. 26 January 1986. pp. 23–27. Retrieved 2021-01-01.
  3. ^ a b "Michael Schwab". Graphis magazine. Retrieved 2021-01-02.
  4. ^ a b "The Cover Artist: Michael Schwab". The Bay Club. Retrieved 2021-01-02.
  5. ^ "2014 AIGA Medalist: Michael Cronan". American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA). Retrieved 2021-01-01.
  6. ^ Camuffo, Giorgio (1987). Pacific Wave: California Graphic Design (in Italian). April Greiman, Museo Fortuny. Magnus. ISBN 9788870570700.
  7. ^ Bierut, Michael (2019-03-12). Now You See It and Other Essays on Design. Chronicle Books. p. 184. ISBN 978-1-61689-676-8.
  8. ^ Benton-Short, Lisa (1998). The Presidio: From Army Post to National Park. UPNE. p. 147. ISBN 978-1-55553-335-9.
  9. ^ "Ep 12: Michael Schwab, Brand genius of the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy". PodBean Development. August 7, 2018. Retrieved 2021-01-02.
  10. ^ "Michael Schwab". FAMSF Search the Collections. 2018-09-21. Retrieved 2021-01-02.
  11. ^ "Schwab, Michael". SFMOMA. Retrieved 2021-01-02.
  12. ^ "Bridge to the Future". V and A Collections. 2021-01-02. Retrieved 2021-01-02.
  13. ^ "Lance Armstrong". National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 2021-01-02.