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Paula Scher
American Graphic Design Artist and Painter
Born: Washington D.C. 1948
Education: BA at The Tyler School of Art 1970
AIGA Medalist

Paula Scher is an American graphic designer, fine artist, author, and educator. Originally she wanted to be an illustrator however her work continued to expand. She gained much recognition from her posters for the New York public theater. She is also the first female principle of Pentagram which she joined in 1991.

After graduating from The Tyler School of Art in 1970, Scher began her career as a layout artist for Random House in the children's books division. Next she worked in promotions and advertising for CBS Records. Seeking a more creative position Scher left CBS Records and began designing album covers for Atlantic Records. Here she would be come the art director.

In 1982 Scher left Atlantic Records to work for herself. In 1984 Scher teamed up with Terry Kopple, an old classmate for The Tyler School of Art. They co-founded Kopple & Scher.

In 1992, right after joining the Pentagram New York office in 1991, Scher became an educator for The School of Visual Art in New York where she has taught for over twenty years. Scher has also worked as an educator for The Copper Union, Yale University, and The Tyler School of Art.

In the film Helvetica by Gary Hustwit Paula Scher stated, "I was morally opposed to Helvetica because I viewed the corporations who were slathered in Helvetica as sponsors of the Vietnam war." In this film Scher also stated that her early influences included Push Pin Records and counter cultures.

Scher developed a typographic style using a combination of Art Deco and Russian Constructivism.