The Mothers of Design

The numbers say it all: 61% of designers are women, but only 29% of creative director positions are held by women. This month's global theme, Matriarchy, invites us to radically imagine a world in which women take the lead. To envision what this could look like for the field of design, we turn to the collective wisdom of the "Mothers of Design": Paula Scher, Gail Anderson, and Rebeca Méndez. The conversation will be guided by no other than Debbie Millman, the queen of design and branding herself. We want to hear from you about the questions you'd like to ask this powerful lineup.

Debbie Millman

One of the most influential designers working today, Debbie Millman has made the importance of design accessible to the public as an author, educator, curator, and host of the podcast Design Matters, one of the world's first and longest-running podcasts. On the podcast, she has interviewed nearly 500 artists, designers, and cultural commentators over the past 14 years. She has authored 6 books on design and branding. She co-founded the world's first graduate program in branding at the School of Visual Arts in NYC in 2009. Millman also serves as the President Emeritus of AIGA, one of five women to hold the position in the organization's 100-year history.

Gail Anderson

Gail Anderson is an NYC-based designer, educator, and writer. She is Chair of BFA Design and BFA Advertising at the School of Visual Arts and creative director at Visual Arts Press. Anderson has served as senior art director at Rolling Stone, creative director of design at SpotCo, and as a designer at The Boston Globe Sunday Magazine and Vintage Books. She has taught at SVA for thirty years and has co-authored 15 books on design, typography, and illustration with Steven Heller. Anderson serves on the Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee for the US Postal Service and the advisory boards of Poster House and The One Club for Creativity. She is an AIGA Medalist and the 2018 recipient of the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Lifetime Achievement Award for Design. Her work is represented in the Library of Congress’ permanent collection, the Milton Glaser Design Archives, and the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Paula Scher

Paula Scher has been a partner in the New York office of Pentagram since 1991, where she has designed identity systems, environmental graphics, packaging, and publications for the Public Theater, the Museum of Modern Art, and the High Line, among many others. Scher has been the recipient of hundreds of industry honors including the National Design Award and the AIGA medal. She is an established artist exhibiting worldwide, and her designs are in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art, the Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum, the Library of Congress, the Victoria and Albert Museum, and other institutions. A documentary on Scher and her work can be seen in the Netflix series "Abstract: The Art of Design."

Rebeca Méndez

Rebeca Méndez is a Mexican & American artist and graphic designer, whose work dynamically crosses the boundaries of culture, disciplines, and thoughts. She is professor and Chair of UCLA's Design Media Arts Department and founder and director of the Counterforce Lab, a research and fieldwork studio that investigates the impacts of anthropocene climate change through art and design. She is the only woman to win the three most significant awards in the field of design: The Cooper-Hewitt National Design Award in Communication Design in 2012, the AIGA Medal in 2017, and induction to the One Club Hall of Fame in 2017.