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Happy Birthday, Steven Heller

In the early 1990s, fresh out of grad school, I was working as the Design Director at the (now-defunct) Philadelphia Inquirer Sunday Magazine where, surrounded by writers and editors, I became interested myself in writing. At that time, the only writing credit I had to my name was my thesis, and the only person besides me who’d read it was Paul Rand, who wasn’t terribly impressed. Undaunted, I mentioned all this to Steven Guarnaccia, who kindly mentioned it to Steve Heller, and a few days later this letter arrived. 
Sight unseen, I was being offered a chance to write — to write about design! — for the AIGA Journal. I was over the moon, and leapt at the opportunity. 
This marked the beginning of a long and rich collaboration and friendship, and I say this knowing that there are others who, like me, have benefited from Steve’s pure generosity of spirit. Not only does he seem to write a book every ten minutes (and if you’re missing any of them, we’ve provided links for our readers below), but he is always willing to share — a credit here, a recommendation there — all of them genuine and heartfelt and real. A willing collaborator, a supportive editor and a devoted friend to artists and designers across the globe, Steve Heller is about as close as we come, in America, to a national treasure. And today is his birthday.
Happy Birthday, Steve. 
101 Books Authored, Co-Authored or Edited by Steven Heller


New Ornamental Type: Decorative Lettering in the Digital Age
Steven Heller & Gail Anderson

Thames & Hudson, 2010

Design School Confidential
Steven Heller & Lita Talarico

Rockport Publishers, 2009

Art Direction Explained, At Last!
Steven Heller & Veronique Vienne

Laurence King, 2009


Marketing Illustration: New Venues, New Styles, New Methods
Steven Heller & Marshall Arisman

Allworth Press, 2009


Anatomy of Design
Steven Heller & Mirko Ilic

Rockport, 2009


Illustration: A Visual History
Steven Heller & Seymour Chwast

Abrams, 2008


Design Disasters
Steven Heller, editor

Allworth Press, 2008


The Design Entrepreneur
Steven Heller & Lita Talarico

Rockport, 2008


Iron Fists
Steven Heller & Mirko Ilic

Phaidon, 2008

The Swastika
Steven Heller

Allworth, 2008

Teaching Motion Design
Steven Heller & Michael Dooley

Allworth, 2008

New Vintage Type: Classic Fonts for the Digital Age
Steven Heller & Gail Anderson

Watson-Guptill, 2007

Looking Closer 5
Steven Heller, Michael Beirut & William Drenttel, editors

Allworth, 2007


The Education of a Photographer
Steven Heller, Charles H. Traub & Adam B. Bell

Allworth, 2006


Stylepedia
Steven Heller & Louise Fili

Chronicle, 2006


Nigel Holmes On Information Design
Steven Heller

Jorge Pinto, 2006


Handwritten: Expressive Lettering in the Digital Age
Steven Heller & Mirko Ilic

Thames & Hudson, 2006


Becoming a Graphic Designer
Steven Heller & Teresa Fernandes

Wiley, 2005


The Education of an Art Director
Steven Heller & Veronique Vienne

Allworth, 2005


The Education of a Graphic Designer
Steven Heller & Veronique Vienne

Allworth, 2005


Cuban Carnival
Steven Heller & Vicki Gold Levi

Universe, 2005


The Education Of A Comics Artist
Steven Heller & Michael Dooley

Allworth, 2005


Euro Deco: Graphic Design Between the Wars
Steven Heller & Louise Fili

Chronicle, 2005

Inside the Business of Illustration
Steven Heller & Marshall Arisman

Allworth, 2004


Design Literacy: Understanding Graphic Design
Steven Heller

Allworth, 2004


Times Square Style
Steven Heller & Vicki Gold Levi

Princeton Architectural Press, 2004


Hola Cuba!
Steven Heller & Vicki Gold Levi, editors

Little Bookroom, 2004


The Designer’s Guide to Astounding Photoshop Effects
Steven Heller & Gail Anderson, editors

North Light Books, 2004


Bandit Love
Steven Heller, editor

North Light Books, 2004


East Side West Side
Steven Heller, editor

Little Bookroom, 2004


The Education of a Typographer
Steven Heller, editor

Allworth, 2004


Teaching Graphic Design
Steven Heller, editor

Allworth, 2003


Citizen Designer
Steven Heller & Veronique Vienne, editors

Allworth, 2003


Merz to Emigre and Beyond
Steven Heller

Phaidon, 2003


Cuba Style
Steven Heller & V. Levi

Princeton Architectural Press, 2002


Design Humor
Steven Heller

Allworth, 2002


Looking Closer 4
Steven Heller, William Drenttel & Michael Bierut, editors

Allworth, 2002


The Education of a Design Entrepreneur
Steven Heller

Allworth, 2002


The Graphic Design Reader
Steven Heller

Allworth, 2002


Counter Culture: The Allure of Mini-Mannequins
Steven Heller

Princeton Architectural Press, 2001


The Education of an E-Designer
Steven Heller, editor

Allworth, 2001


Graphic Design History
Steven Heller & Georgette Ballance

Allworth, 2001


Red Scared!
Steven Heller & Michael Barson

Chronicle, 2001


Graphic Style
Steven Heller & Seymour Chwast

Harry N. Abrams, 2001


Texts on Type
Steven Heller & Philip B. Meggs, editors

Allworth, 2001


Genius Moves
Steven Heller & Mirko Ilic

North Light Books, 2001


The Education of an Illustrator
Steven Heller & Marshall Arisman, editors

Allworth, 2000


Graphic Design Time Line
Steven Heller & Elinor Pettit

Allworth, 2000


Design Connoisseur
Steven Heller & Louise Fili

Allworth, 2000


Letterforms: Bawdy, Bad and Beautiful
Steven Heller & Christine Thompson

Watson-Guptill, 2000


Wedding Bell Blues
Steven Heller & Michael Barson

Chronicle, 2000


Paul Rand
Steven Heller

Phaidon, 2000


Looking Closer 3
Steven Heller, Jessica Helfand, Michael Bierut & Rick Poynor, editors

Allworth, 1999


Design Literacy (Continued)
Steven Heller

Allworth, 1999


Less Is More
Steven Heller & Anne Fink

North Light Books, 1999


Typology
Steven Heller & Louise Fili

Chronicle, 1998


German Modern
Steven Heller & Louise Fili

Chronicle, 1998


Design Dialogues
Steven Heller

Allworth, 1998


Belles Lettres A 19th Century French Writing Tablet
Steven Heller & Louise Fili

Chronicle, 1998


Belles Lettres An Arts and Crafts Writing Tablet
Steven Heller & Louise Fili

Chronicle, 1998


Belles Lettres An Art Deco Writing Tablet
Steven Heller & Louise Fili

Chronicle, 1998


Belles Lettres An Art Nouveau Writing Tablet
Steven Heller & Louise Fili

Chronicle, 1998


British Modern
Steven Heller & Louise Fili

Chronicle, 1998


Food Wrap
Steven Heller

St. Martin’s, 1998


Design Culture
Steven Heller & Marie Finamore, editors

Allworth, 1997


Teenage Confidential
Steven Heller & Michael Barson

Chronicle, 1997


Digital Designer
Steven Heller & Daniel Drennan

Watson-Guptill, 1997


Deco Espana
Steven Heller & Louise Fili

Chronicle, 1997


Looking Closer 2
Steven Heller, Michael Beirut, William Drenttel & DK Holland, editors

Allworth, 1997


Faces on the Edge
Steven Heller &
Anne Fink

Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1997


Deco Type
Steven Heller & Louise Fili

Chronicle, 1997


Magazines Inside & Out
Steven Heller & Teresa Fernandes

PBC International, 1997


That’s Entertainment
Steven Heller & Anne Fink

PBC International, 1997


Low Budget
Steven Heller

Watson-Guptill, 1997


Newsletters Now
Steven Heller & Elinor Pettit

PBC International, 1997


American Typeplay
Steven Heller & Gail Anderson

PBC International, 1996


French Modern
Steven Heller & Louise Fili

Chronicle, 1996


Cover Story
Steven Heller & Louise Fili

Chronicle, 1996


Japanese Modern
Steven Heller, Seymour Chwast & Fraser

Chronicle, 1996


Business of Illustration
Steven Heller & Teresa Fernandes

Watson-Guptill, 1995


Jackets Required
Steven Heller & Seymour Chwast

Chronicle, 1995


Streamline
Steven Heller & Louise Fili

Chronicle, 1995


Looking Closer
Steven Heller, Michael Bierut, William Drenttel & DK Holland, editors

Allworth, 1994


Covers and Jackets!
Steven Heller & Anne Fink

Rizzoli, 1994


Designing for Children
Steven Heller & Steven Guarnaccia

Watson-Guptill, 1994


Graphic Style
Steven Heller & Seymour Chwast

Harry N Abrams, 1994


Dutch Moderne
Steven Heller & Louise Fili

Chronicle, 1994


Borrowed Design
Steven Heller & Julie Lasky

John Wiley & Sons, 1993


Savage Mirror
Steven Heller

Watson-Guptill, 1992


School Days
Steven Heller & Steven Guarnaccia

Abbeville, 1992


You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby
Steven Heller, Vicki Gold Levi & Seymour Chwast

Hyperion, 1992


Angry Graphics
Steven Heller & Karrie Jacobs

Gibbs Smith, 1992


Designing With Illustration
Steven Heller & Karen Pomeroy

Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1990


Trylon and Perisphere
Steven Heller, Barbara Cohen & Seymour Chwast

Harry N Abrams, 1989


Sourcebook of Visual Ideas
Steven Heller

Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1989


New York Observed
Steven Heller, Barbara Cohen & Seymour Chwast, editors

Harry N Abrams, 1987


Innovators of American Illustration
Steven Heller, editor

Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1986


Art Against War
Steven Heller, D. J. R. Bruckner & Seymour Chwast

Abbeville,1984


Man Bites Man
Steven Heller, editor

Hutchinson, 1981


Artists Christmas Cards
Steven Heller

Fireside, 1981

25 More Books Authored, Co-Authored or Edited by Steven Heller
The Book of Waters (A&W Press) — 1979
The Empire State Building Book (St. Martins) — 1979
Sin City Fables (A&W Press) — 1980
Jules Feiffer’s America (Knopf) — 1981
War Heads: Cartoonists for a Nuclear Weapons Freeze (Penguin) — 1982
The Art of Satire: Painters as Cartoonists and Caricaturists for Delacroix to Picasso (Horizon Press) — 1984
Seymour Chwast: The Left Handed Designer (Abrams) — 1985
The Fifties Revisited (Universe) — 1985
The Little Theatre: A Christmas Carol (Viking Kestrel) — 1985
Design Career (Van Nostrand Reinhold) — 1987
Graphic Style: From Victorian to Post-Modern (Abrams) — 1987
Low Budget/High Quality Design: The Art of Inexpensive Visual Communications (Watson Guptil) — 1988
Graphic Wit: The Art of Humor in Design (Watson Guptil) — 1989
Carta Italiana (Chronicle) — 1995
100 Best Posters of Europe and America (Toppan) — 1997
Papier Francias (Chronicle Giftworks) — 1999
The Italian Art Deco Address Book (Chronicle Giftworks) — 1999
Design Dialogues (Allworth Press) — 1998
Becoming a Graphic Designer (Van Nostrand) — 1999
Sex Appeal: The Art of Allure in Advertising and Graphic Design (Allworth) — 2000
Graphic Design Timeline (Allworth Press) — 2000
Genius Rules: 100 Icons of Graphic Design (North Light Press) — 2001
The Push Pin Graphic (Chronicle Books) — Fall 2004
Inside the Illustration Business (Allworth Press) — Fall 2004
Design Literacy Revised (Allworth Press) — Fall 2004

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By Jessica Helfand

Jessica Helfand, a founding editor of Design Observer, is an award-winning graphic designer and writer and a former contributing editor and columnist for Print, Communications Arts and Eye magazines. A member of the Alliance Graphique Internationale and a recent laureate of the Art Director’s Hall of Fame, Helfand received her B.A. and her M.F.A. from Yale University where she has taught since 1994.

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