Lester Beall

The Graphic Design Archives Chapbook Series celebrates the achievements of key design pioneers whose work is collected in the Special Collections department of RIT Library. From the inaugural acquisition of the Lester Beall Archive in 1986, RIT's holdings have grown to include the work of seventeen designers. Extensive collections of personal papers, business records and artwork by Lester Beall, Will Burtin, George Giusti, and Cipe Pineles form the cornerstones of the Archives. Lester Beall: Space, Time & Content explores the work of Lester Beall through reproductions of RIT's comprehensive holdings. Beall (1903-1969) gained prominence through his ads, posters and identity projects commissioned from such high-profile clients as the Chicago Tribune, Collier's and Time magazines, the Rural Electrification Administration and International Paper Company. Throughout his career, Beall's award-winning design and high principles made him a favored lecturer in professional and educational circles. He is now considered as one of the chief proponents of the American Modernist Design movement. R. Roger Remington, Professor of Graphic Design at RIT, has been seriously engaged in the research, interpretation and preservation of the history of graphic design for over 20 years. He has written extensively on the subject and is presently working on a book on Modernism in American Graphic Design.