Gene Federico was an American graphic designer and art director who pioneered the idea of mixing type and imagery. He was first influenced to become a designer in high school where the prestigious Art Squad was formed. Federico was inspired by the European advertisements shown in his classes and based his early designs on the work of A.M. Cassandre. After high school, he left for the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn to enhance his knowledge of European and American design. With the help of one of his professors, Federico eventually took a job with the Abbot Kimball Company in New York. Later on, he received a position in advertisement for Bamberger’s Department Store, but it was cut short because he was shipped off to serve over seas for World War II. Following this setback, Federico received opportunities to work on some projects, but he wasn’t able to find a stable job until he landed a position in the Doyle Dane Bernbach firm where he worked on ads displayed for Woman’s Day magazine. This started the beginning of his “visual puns.” Once he concluded his job at Doyle Dane Bernbach, he began working for Benton and Bowles for eight years. After creating successful IBM advertisement, the rest of his work kept getting rejected by his department. Due to this, Federico began his own firm known as Lord Federico but would later leave after receiving an AIGA medal. Overall, Gene Federico is an inspiration. His work is timeless and his creativity is admirable. I love his work because it reminds designers to always think outside of the box and not to conform to societal trends.
Sources:
https://go.distance.ncsu.edu/gd203/?p=52172
http://ideasondesign.net/speakers/speakers/gene-federico/
https://www.nytimes.com/1999/09/10/business/gene-federico-81-graphic-designer-dies.html