David Carson: the genius

Humaira
Jul 5, 2020
2 min read

Updated: Oct 21, 2022

Without getting too fangirl... I discovered this talented American graphic designer, experimental typographer, art director, and surfer whilst studying A-level Graphic Design, and he's been an immense inspiration ever since. He has received the AIGA (American Institute of Graphic Arts) gold medal and was named one of Apple's 30 most innovative designers in their 30-year history. The number of awards he won wasn't the only thing to grab my attention but his approach to design was experimental, intuitive, and I guess personal too.

Carson's unconventional style revolutionised visual communication in the 1990s. His unmistakable experimental editorial design work for lifestyle and music magazines such as Ray Gun, Transworld Skateboarding, Beach Culture, Blue, and Surfer gained him worldwide acclaim, as did his television advertisements for global corporations such as Nike, Pepsi, and Microsoft. In one issue of Ray Gun, he notoriously used Zapf Dingbat, a font containing only symbols, as the font for what he considered a rather dull interview with Bryan Ferry. It's pure brilliance if you ask me (although a copy of the interview was published in a legible font at the back of the same issue).

How grand is David Carson though, am I right?

His editorial layouts didn't stick to the rules around image placement, consistent typography, or doggedly flowing copy issue after issue - he breaks the rules without really intending to. The fact that he can create a lot of reactions just based on the way he arranges things shows that design is such a powerful language.

I try to follow his personal motto - "why not?" Pretty simple, but it can lead to many different approaches, ideas, and iterations of whatever it is in question. Next time you think your project is too bold, crazy, or dramatic, just go for it because why not?