What makes Bob Gill and his work special and unique?

The ethos that graphic design was a problem-solving profession was common throughout Gill’s cohort during the middle part of the 20th century, but he really took it a step further. More than anything, Gill believed that design should operate separately from prevalent trends in the culture. This is both a simple and radical idea. Looking across the Gill Collection, you can certainly see many common threads, but, in general, I think he was remarkably successful in creating his own visual language.

What’s your favorite piece of Bob Gill’s work?

I love the poster for the 1984 musical The Rink, which features the silhouettes of its original stars, Broadway giants Liza Minnelli and Chita Rivera. Silhouettes were a compelling form to Gill; you can find them across his body of work. Gill didn’t try to get too fancy here; he had two icons and put their recognizable profiles front and center, providing the equal billing they likely demanded. But there’s still something interesting going on with the sharp contrast between the outlines of the women. I’m sorry to say this wonderful poster couldn’t save the show itself, which was panned by critics.

Bob was quite the character; did you get to know him at all before he passed?

I met him a few years before he passed away. He was indeed a character! I love a designer with strong opinions. Gill put his ideas to paper in a number of books for designers and design students, which are wonderfully instructive about his approach.

What do you think students or Archives visitors will glean from the works available in the Bob Gill Collection?

Gill was one of the earliest design instructors at SVA and played an important role in shaping the nascent design department. He also designed two early subway posters for SVA. For several years in the 1960s, he co-taught a course with Ivan Chermayeff—I sure would’ve loved to have been a fly on the wall in that classroom.

Beyond his association with SVA, he is also connected to other designers in our collection. Gill’s contemporaries and friends Ivan Chermayeff and Tom Geismar (and Robert Brownjohn, their partner from the early days of their firm) and Tony Palladino all had an interest in exploring vernacular design, and Gill shared that affinity. His work is very much of a piece with these colleagues, all of them American modernists who introduced a level of eccentricity and human presence into a pretty structured mode of design.

What do you think the overall legacy of Gill’s work will be?

There’s much to learn from Gill’s matter-of-fact, irreverent attitude in his work. It’s daring and smart in a way that can teach young designers that it’s possible to pave your own path without following the herd.

Below, a gallery sampling of some of Gill’s work featured in the collection.

Features

The legendary designer’s work is now open for research at the College’s Archives.