The Design Observer Twenty




01.08.11
The Editors | Gallery

Name That Design Person!

Four months from today, Americans will celebrate Mother’s Day*. In advance of this holiday, we’ve invited a number of designers to share with us a long-lost kiddie pic: beginning today, and on the 8th of every month leading up to Mother's Day, we’re asking our readers to guess the identity of one featured baby.

We’ll post another baby picture on the 8th of February, March and April. The remaining photos will go up on the 8th of May. Write your guess in the comment line, first to guess the correct name, wins a Design Observer T-shirt. Winners will be announced on May 8, 2011.



* With apologies to our readers in the UK, where "Mothering Sunday" occurs on the fourth Sunday of Lent, which falls this year on April 3.




Comments [92]

Michael Bierut
Dave Merrilees-Kelly
01.08.11
11:30

Chip Kidd
Johan Renklint
01.08.11
12:39

Michael Bierut
umd
01.08.11
12:47

Rick Poynor.
Tippy Boswell
01.08.11
02:55

William Drenttel
Josev
01.08.11
04:27

Doyald Young
Bob
01.08.11
05:27

Milton Glaser

(I'm almost certain its Micheal Bierut but its already been said)
jad
01.09.11
07:42

No, not Michael Bierut. No one has guessed correctly ... yet!
jessica helfand
01.09.11
08:19

Paul Rand
wibo bakker
01.09.11
10:03

Stefan Sagmeister.
fabiana heinrich
01.09.11
10:17

Philippe Starck
Nat
01.09.11
10:34

Stephen Heller
Thomas Dabner
01.09.11
10:42

Bob Gill
Brian Minards
01.09.11
10:44

Saul Bass
Brian Minards
01.09.11
10:46

Tibor Kalman
Joseph OLeary
01.09.11
11:25

Seymour Chwast
Joe Moran
01.09.11
11:44

Whoever he is, the images seems to be from around WWII or post war but before late 50s or 1960s. So Kidd and Bierut are too young. The big names like Rand and Lustig are too old. The image also could be 1930s which might be good for Milton? but, he's out now…

Frank Gehry?
Joseph Coates
01.09.11
11:58

Ivan Chermayeff
Brian Minards
01.09.11
12:54

Cowboy hat?

Woody Pirtle.
Sam Potts
01.09.11
03:09

Kit Hinrichs
Stéphane Darricau
01.09.11
03:17

Love your logic, Joseph. But still ... no! (And for the record, you'd be surprised: we had submissions by several people born well after the summer of love, and you'd swear the photos hailed from the great Depression.)
Jessica Helfand
01.09.11
04:06

Neville Brody
Kyle Schmidt
01.09.11
05:21

Ed Fella.
Stéphane Darricau
01.09.11
05:23

Charles Eames?
Maria
01.09.11
05:30

DJ Stout
Mark
01.09.11
06:09

It's a girl!
West Anna Maria
01.09.11
07:44

Nope. A boy!
Jessica Helfand
01.09.11
08:46

Ray Eames??
Camille
01.09.11
09:31

Whoops just realized you said not girl
Camille
01.09.11
09:33

Thomas Young or William Eames?
Camille
01.09.11
09:35

Lance Wyman?
Tanner
01.09.11
09:58

Alan Fletcher
Nadeem
01.09.11
10:41

John Thackara
fabiana heinrich
01.10.11
12:12

Bill Moggridge
fabiana heinrich
01.10.11
12:14

Michael Ian Kaye
Laura Forde
01.10.11
01:23

Bradbury Thompson
Caleb Greene
01.10.11
01:52

One from the leftfield....Erik Spiekermann
Dave Merrilees-Kelly
01.10.11
04:23

Wolfgang Weingart?
Ramon Luna
01.10.11
10:41

Michael Place
Dave Merrilees-Kelly
01.10.11
10:45

Jonathan Hoefler
Jane
01.10.11
10:50

David Carson?
Judy
01.10.11
10:57

Scott Stowell
Kaitlyn
01.10.11
11:10

Vaughan Oliver
Dave Merrilees-Kelly
01.10.11
11:10

Saul Bass
PrintProof app
01.10.11
11:19

Adrian Shaughnessy
Jenny
01.10.11
12:50

Walter Gropius... obviously
Eric Baker
01.10.11
01:34

WRONG, ERIC!
Jessica Helfand
01.10.11
02:05

David Gibson
Rob Henning
01.10.11
02:10

George Lois?
Joe Moran
01.10.11
02:54

Rick Valicenti
Kyle Green
01.10.11
02:59

Art Chantry?
Casey Conroy
01.10.11
03:00

Alvin Eisenman?
Ramon Luna
01.10.11
03:05

Herbert Matter?
Ramon Luna
01.10.11
03:10

George Nelson
Tom Burns
01.10.11
04:38

Paul Simon
Cecilie Barstad
01.10.11
04:40

Mies van der Rohe?
Eric Baker
01.10.11
04:47

What about one of them "other Michaels?"
Vanderbyl, Mabry or Manwearing?
Kevin Wyatt
01.10.11
04:58

Alas, dear friends: no, no and NO!
Jessica Helfand
01.10.11
07:06

Does "design person" include design writers, critics, etc., too?
EH
01.10.11
07:49

Lucian Berhard, no question
Eric Baker
01.10.11
07:55

You may have caught me in another time and place from a previous life. Congratulations… the first time traveling design blog… or is it?!?!?!

VR/
Joe Moran
01.10.11
08:40

Yes, Eric.
jessica helfand
01.10.11
08:41

I mean yes EH -- sorry -- ergo, design person.
jessica helfand
01.10.11
08:42

Jessica, will you let us know when it is time to stop guessing, that is, once you've gotten a correct answer?

I don't think people are even really trying anymore, merely throwing at any name that pops up, not even trying to see a resemblance between this photo and the names they are offering.

In that spirit I propose: Massimo Vignelli.

Rob Henning
01.10.11
09:12

Steven Heller
Justen Renyer
01.10.11
09:14

Now I've got it: Ken Carbone.
Rob Henning
01.10.11
09:29

Jonathan Ive
JayNYC
01.10.11
09:39

The cowboy hat leads me to guess that could be native Texan Todd Oldham.
Molly Block (@mollyblock)
01.10.11
10:31

David Lynch
Seb Slove
01.11.11
04:33

Frank Lloyd Wright
Printproofapp
01.11.11
04:43

Rob, I will absolutely chime in the minute we have a winner. Which we don't. Yet!
Jessica Helfand
01.11.11
05:21

Tom Geismar
Rob Henning
01.11.11
07:46

Lou Danziger
Kelly
01.11.11
09:51

Nope, I think I've got it Robert Brownjohn!
Kelly
01.11.11
09:57

Nope, not Brownjohn!
Jessica Helfand
01.11.11
10:45

Abbott Miller
Kyle Green
01.11.11
10:55

Bruce Mau
Kevin Burke
01.11.11
11:08

Herb Lubalin
Kaitlyn
01.11.11
11:35

JP Williams
JayNYC
01.11.11
12:40

Herman Miller
JayNYC
01.11.11
12:43

I have to say that JP Williams is an absolutely brilliant guess. Brilliant, but wrong!
Jessica Helfand
01.11.11
12:50

Martin Venezky
TRB
01.11.11
04:10

Adam Eeuwens
jane
01.11.11
04:36

Marc English
clive piercy
01.11.11
05:52

Ralph Caplan
EH
01.11.11
05:59

Kurt Andersen
EH
01.11.11
06:24

No more calls, please: we have a winner! the correct answer is Ralph Caplan. Congratulations, EH!
jessica helfand
01.11.11
07:56

Way to go EH!

VR/
Joe Moran
01.11.11
08:57

Great! I look forward to sportin' the shirt.
EH
01.11.11
11:30

Michael Bierut
Seulgi Ho
01.14.11
03:53

Buckminster Fuller
nora
01.18.11
04:02

This looks fun, definitely have to join in the guessing next month.
fontburger
01.18.11
05:16


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