CCA Events
Mix 'n' Match: Michael Doret and Laura Smith
Illustration and Graphic Design lecture
Thursday, April 26, 2007, 7 pm
Timken Lecture Hall, San Francisco campus
Reception following
Although Laura Smith and Michael Doret represent different disciplines (illustration and letterform art), they share many of the same influences and aesthetic sources. They will show examples of current and past work and discuss these influences and how their work got to look the way it does. They will also touch on how their work has grown because of their proximity to and influence on each other.
Smith was raised on the beach in Manhattan Beach, California, where no one but her mother locked their doors. After graduating from Pasadena's Art Center College of Design (illustration major), Smith moved to New York City to jump-start her career. After developing her style in New York for 13 years, she returned to her native California and set up shop in the Hollywood Hills.
Her graphic approach to illustration has been inspired by some of the great poster artists of the first half of the 20th century. Those whose work has influenced her the most have done so because of the simplicity and directness in their use of graphic elements and their ability to communicate an idea quickly and efficiently. Economy in imagery and design have always been the motivating forces behind her art. For more information about her, visit www.laurasmithart.com.
A graduate of the Cooper Union, Doret opened his own design studio, first in New York City and later in Hollywood. An eight-time winner of the NY Art Directors Club Silver Award, Doret is a specialist in logos and letterforms. His unique typographic vision blends elements of lettering, illustration, and graphic design. The inspiration for his work came primarily from his early years growing up near the bright lights, signage, and brilliant colors of Brooklyn's Coney Island, and later in life from such diverse sources as matchbook covers, theater marquees, enamel signs, and early to mid-20th century packaging.
In addition to designing many memorable covers over the years for TIME Magazine, as well as CD covers (from the infamous Rock and Roll Over for Kiss to his Grammy Award–nominated design for the Squirrel Nut Zippers), he has created many familiar works including the NY Knicks logo and the Federal Eagle postage for the U.S. Postal Service. In 2006 he invested some of his time in font design, opening Alphabet Soup Type Founders with the release of two fonts, Orion and Metroscript, and one font family, PowerStation. For more information, visit www.michaeldoret.com.
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