Victor Moscoso was a Spanish-American poster designer and self-published comic book artist that helped pioneer the psychedelic art movement in the 1960s. Moscoso was one of the first formally trained artists and designers breaking ground in the area of psychedelic art and was the first to incorporate photo collage into the style, something we consider essential to the era today. It’s fascinating to consider what people would have thought when they first saw his work’s vibrant colours, distorted text, and art-nouveau-inspired imagery. It isn’t easy to conceive of considering the ubiquitousness of the style today. When I think of the 1960s, I see Victor Moscoso’s artistic sensibilities specifically.

Surprisingly, Moscoso was inspired to experiment with such vibrant colours after being inspired by the work of Joseph Albers, the famous German-born designer, and educator. Despite the nature of his involvement with counter-culture movements, rock and roll, and drug use, I’m happy to report that Moscoso was officially recognized and received the coveted AIGA’s American Institute of Graphic Arts Medal in 2018.