Author(s): Caitlin Condell + Emily M. Orr (Editors)

Design

E. McKnight Kauffer (American, 1890-1954) was a pioneering figure who transformed the field of graphic design between the wars. Kauffer drew upon the emerging visual languages of cubism, vorticism, and surrealism to create a modern graphic style that shaped the development of commercial art. Through collaborations with his avant-garde peers in art, literature, and design, including T.S. Eliot, Aldus Huxley, Alfred Hitchcock, and Man Ray, Kauffer expanded the scope and impact of his field, eventually becoming the subject of the first monographic exhibition of a graphic designer at MoMA in 1937. This groundbreaking publication is the first to address the expansive reach of E. McKnight Kauffer's career, from sophisticated designs for major clients - including the London Transport System, Random House, American Airlines, and Shell, as well as significant allied propaganda posters during World War II - to covers, illustrations, costumes, and stage sets. Drawing on Cooper Hewitt's unique collection of process sketches and supporting archival material, the publication will feature a wealth of never-before-published research. Chapters will reveal Kauffer's working methods, his professional and personal designer networks, and thematic connections across media, offering significant new additions to scholarship on this important American designer