Steven Heller

Steven Heller|Essays

The Ink Revolution of Jason S. Logan

Jason S. Logan is imagining a revolution for natural, place-based ink that is equivalent to what Alice Waters did for food.

Steven Heller|Essays

Should A Designer Be Judged By Ideology?

Should designers and illustrators be judged harshly for choosing to make art on the wrong side of history?

Steven Heller|Essays

Happiness of Chalk Talk

“Drawn lines are simple things in themselves, yet what power of expression in a few of them appropriately combined!”

Steven Heller|Essays

Cleaning Up Sanitation

The story of New York City’s Sanitation Department, the vanilla trucks, and the lower case Helvetica.

Steven Heller|Essays

A Bee C: Paul Rand’s Bee Fixation

The 1981 Eye-Bee-M rebus is Paul Rand’s most iconic poster.

Steven Heller|Essays

A Short Definition of Timelessness

Time may be concrete and abstract, but in terms of design, timelessness is imposed. It is a critical and subjective, yet generally agreed upon label for style—or lack of style.

Steven Heller|Essays

The Times. A Comic Strip. A Pulitzer Prize.

It is not every day that a comic strip wins the prestigious Pulitzer Prize for editorial cartooning—come to think of it, there’s never been one.

Steven Heller|Opinions

Should Designers Be Design Critics? Why Not?

Criticism is not always an attack on someone or something; it is also analysis that includes history, context, and other relevant factors that result in a specific work.

Steven Heller|Essays

Living In History

If we care about design history, we should embrace the ghosts that live in and around all of us.

Steven Heller|Essays

Second Rate Prime Time: TV News and Talk Show Sets

A brief look back at the evolving nightly news set.

Steven Heller|Essays

Thanks, Robert Grossman

Bob’s death was unexpected. I felt kicked in the stomach when, on Friday morning, I read an email from his companion, Elaine Louie, announcing the tragic news.

Steven Heller|Essays

A Day Trip Into Darkness

It is 3:13 on Monday morning in Krakow, Poland. It is dark out. I cannot sleep.