George Lois
Design Guru
George Lois is a pioneering advertising executive and designer best known for a series of covers he created for Esquire magazine between 1962 and 1972 (some of which were featured in an exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art in 2008). He coined the phrase "I want my MTV!" created a new gourmet frozen foods marketing category with Lean Cuisine, and has devised memorable ads for companies ranging from Jiffy Lube to USA Today to Tommy Hilfiger. He is also the author of nine books about advertising and design, including "George, Be Careful," "$ellebrity," and "Iconic America."
Lois realized in high school that every design and communications problem presented an opportunity to do something unusual, exciting, dramatic, and unique.
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6 min
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The most thrilling thing as a designer is making something that becomes a cultural phenomenon and impacts people.
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6 min
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Magazines are supposed to be leading the culture by “telling people what the hell you think is exciting and dynamic and thought provoking.”
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12 min
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Angry letters from congressmen. Death threats. Lost advertising. In the 60’s, these were often the result of a provocative cover image.
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9 min
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Forget about culture-busting significance on the newsstand. The covers of today’s magazines just aren’t memorable.
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4 min
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Inspiration isn’t a bolt of lightening—it comes out of your own sensibilities and understanding of the world.
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6 min
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The ’60s “was the most heroic age in media communications since the twelve apostles,” but the AMC show doesn’t really get it.
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10 min
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A conversation with the design guru.
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53 min
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