Paula Scher's typographic playground is all the rage in Tokyo

Paula Scher is undoubtedly one of the most acclaimed graphic designers in the world. Scher who has been a principal in the New York office of the distinguished international design consultancy Pentagram since 1991, has designed identity and branding systems, environmental graphics, packaging and publications for a wide range of clients that includes Citibank, Microsoft, Bloomberg, Shake Shack, the Museum of Modern Art, Tiffany & Co, the High Line, the Public Theater, and the Metropolitan Opera, among others.


This typographic treasury of hers is presented in "Serious Play", a brand new exhibition running at Ginza Graphic Gallery, Tokyo, Japan all through the 25th of March, 2019.

Immediately after entering the profession, Scher was noticed for her work for the music industry, where she released a stream of astonishing album covers.  

Upon joining Pentagram, Scher took New York by storm through her work for The Public Theater and has continued to be active in fields ranging from advertising, logo design, to environmental design, and is remarkable for the outstanding quality and quantity of her creations. 

The Citibank logo, the signage for The High Line, VI for Shakespeare in the Park and Jazz at Lincoln Center are just a few examples of Scher’s work that one encounters to an astonishing degree when walking through the streets of Manhattan.  

"The title “Serious Play” is a kind of goal as a designer for Paula Scher. Serious ⇨ solemn ⇨ hackneyed ⇨ extremely bored ⇨ rediscovered is the cycle of her work processes. Thus, at the stage when “serious” morphs into “solemn”, “play” is in danger of disappearing, so she has to start a new journey again to find the next fresh ground" notes GGG's press release.


The lush exhibition features Scher’s epoch-making works selected from her rich career, including posters, logo design, environmental design, book design and other small graphic works. 

Furthermore, 16 works selected from the art Map series she has been working on for about 20 years, unveils another fascinating world of her multiawarded creativity.


During the course of her career Scher has been the recipient of hundreds of industry honors and awards; she is a recipient of the National Design Award for Communication Design, the AIGA medal and the Chrysler Award for Innovation in Design, among others. She is an established artist exhibiting worldwide, and her designs are in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art, the Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum, the Library of Congress, the Victoria and Albert Museum and other institutions.
She is the author of “Make It Bigger” (Princeton Architectural Press, 2002) “MAPS” (Princeton Architectural Press, 2011) and “Works” (Unit Editions, 2017). 

Scher holds a BFA from the Tyler School of Art and a Doctor of Fine Arts Honoris Causa from the Corcoran College of Art and Design, the Maryland Institute College of Art and Moore College of Art and Design. A documentary on her and her work can be seen in the 2017 Netflix series Abstract: The Art of Design.

More info here

All images @ Paula Scher via Ginza Graphic Gallery