Scher founded the design studio Koppel and Scher in 1984 and joined the New York partnership Pentagram in 1991. Scher's loose interpretations of history ignore the philosophical ambitions behind aesthetic movements in favor of mining their emotional impact. In Scher's words, "I would rather be the Beatles than Philip Glass." Neither nostalgic nor academic, Scher's work treats history as a warehouse of mannerisms and motifs to be used for their immediate appeal to contemporary audiences. Other designers working in this eclectic vein include Charles Anderson in Minneapolis, Art Chantry in Seattle, and John Sayles in Des Moines. [back] © Copyright 1996 Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum

Japanese Melodies for Flute and Harp Album cover, 1978, offset lithograph Designer: Paula Scher (b. 1948) Publisher: Columbia Records, New York Collection Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, Gift of the designer COCA Season Poster (The Night Gallery) Poster, 1991, offset lithograph Designer: Art Chantry (b. 1954) Publisher: Center on Contemporary Art, Seattle Collection Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, Gift of the designer