Born in 1918 New York, Gene Federico was a designer and advertising executive who helped elevate the importance of typography in design. Through the integration of text with imagery, Federico created visual puns that helped convey his messages effectively to an audience.
Like many artists and designers, Federico began designing early in his childhood, often creating posters throughout his early school days. His work was often inspired by European artists such as A. M. Cassandre and Lucian Bernhard. Due to this he would later help integrate European modernism into the graphic design style we know it as today. By 1946, Federico began working for Fortune Magazine. However, Federico was unhappy with the job and later left in 1950. From here, Federico joined the Doyle Dane Bernbach firm where began working on adverts for the Woman’s day magazine. Here he would go on to create some of his most notable pieces including the piece “Going Out” created in 1953.
As 1967 approached, Federico opened the Lord, Geller, Federico, Einstein Inc., a design agency created with his classmate Norman Geller. Continuing his craft of magazine covers and advertisements, Federico began working with The New Yorker and Napier Jewelry during his time at the firm. He would continue working and refining his craft up until his death in 1999 at the age of 81.
Sources:
Heller, Steven. “Gene Federico, 81, Graphic Designer, Dies.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 10 Sept. 1999, https://www.nytimes.com/1999/09/10/business/gene-federico-81-graphic-designer-dies.html.
Rizzo, John. “Gene Federico.” GD 203, 9 Apr. 2020, https://go.distance.ncsu.edu/gd203/?p=52172#:~:text=Gene%20Federico%20was%20a%2020,in%20Greenwich%20Village%2C%20New%20York.&text=It%20was%20there%20that%20he,New%20York%20Art%20Director’s%20Show.
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