Barry Deck
Encyclopedia
Barry Deck is an American graphic designer
, typographer and art director
. He is best known for the typeface Template Gothic.
Deck’s work has been published in numerous books, including A History of Graphic Design by Philip Meggs, as well as periodicals such as The New York Times Magazine
, Wired
, Metropolis, Emigre
, and Graphis Inc.. He has lectured and taught internationally and his work is in the permanent collection of the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum
.
to Lester (a business entrepreneur) and Patricia Deck (homemaker). He is the eldest of three brothers, the youngest, Brian Deck
, is a music producer and John, a contractor.
Barry Deck graduated in 1986 from Northern Illinois University
. He then worked briefly as a graphic designer for Lipman + Simons and then Kym Abrams Design in Chicago
, Illinois, before enrolling in the Master of Fine Arts program at California Institute of the Arts
(CalArts) in Valencia, California in 1987. His studies in deconstruction
and typography
were overseen by the likes of Jeffery Keedy
and Ed Fella
.1,2 He graduated in the Spring of 1989.
Mr. Deck describes the avante-garde appeal of Template Gothic with his statement published by Emigre
: "[This] typeface reflects my interest in type that is not perfect; type that reflects more truly the imperfect language of an imperfect world, inhabited by imperfect beings."3
Template Gothic became one of the most popular fonts of the '90s.4 Riding on its success, Deck released a handful of typefaces; Bombadeer and Industry Sans (1990), Caustic Biomorph (1992), Arbitrary (1992), and Cyberotica (1994). At this time, Deck also ventured into motion graphics for TV commercials, most notably spots for the Crystal Pepsi
campaign in 1992, Reebok
Shoes, Nickelodeon
and Vox.
, but in 1998 he was asked to come back to Los Angeles
to redesign and art direct Raygun Magazine. He enlisted the help of his friend Warren Corbitt (then a Graduate Student at Cranbrook Academy of Art) and together they spent three months transforming Raygun.
The collaborative redesign banished the "grunge" look that Raygun Magazine had become famous for. The resulting magazine embodied a style and spirit Deck would refer to as "Immaculate filth". A term he continues to use to this day.
. While teaching at Pratt Institute
in Brooklyn, he consulted for various advertising and branding agencies, before becoming Creative Director at Ogilvy & Mather
's Brand Integration Group (BIG). There, he led a team of designers on projects for SAP
, AT&T
, and most notably, Coca-Cola
. Having worked on existing and emerging Coke brands, he retains a strong design relationship with the company to this day. In 2007, he launched Barry Deck LLC, a branding firm based in New York and Amsterdam
which emphasizes building brands’ "relationships with consumers".
Graphic designer
A graphic designer is a professional within the graphic design and graphic arts industry who assembles together images, typography or motion graphics to create a piece of design. A graphic designer creates the graphics primarily for published, printed or electronic media, such as brochures and...
, typographer and art director
Art director
The art director is a person who supervise the creative process of a design.The term 'art director' is a blanket title for a variety of similar job functions in advertising, publishing, film and television, the Internet, and video games....
. He is best known for the typeface Template Gothic.
Deck’s work has been published in numerous books, including A History of Graphic Design by Philip Meggs, as well as periodicals such as The New York Times Magazine
The New York Times Magazine
The New York Times Magazine is a Sunday magazine supplement included with the Sunday edition of The New York Times. It is host to feature articles longer than those typically in the newspaper and has attracted many notable contributors...
, Wired
Wired (magazine)
Wired is a full-color monthly American magazine and on-line periodical, published since January 1993, that reports on how new and developing technology affects culture, the economy, and politics...
, Metropolis, Emigre
Emigre
Emigre, also known as Emigre Graphics, is a digital type foundry, publisher and distributor of graphic design centered information based in Berkeley, California, that was founded in 1984 by husband-and-wife team Rudy VanderLans and Zuzana Licko. The type foundry also published Emigre magazine...
, and Graphis Inc.. He has lectured and taught internationally and his work is in the permanent collection of the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum
Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum
Cooper–Hewitt, National Design Museum, a subsidiary of the Smithsonian Institution, is the United States' national museum of design history and contemporary design and the only museum in the U.S. whose collection is solely focused on contemporary and historic design...
.
Early life and education
Barry Deck was born on December 1, 1962 in Mount Pleasant, IowaMount Pleasant, Iowa
Mount Pleasant is a city in and the county seat of Henry County, Iowa, in the United States. The population was 8,668 in the 2010 census, a decline from 8,751 in the 2000 census. It was founded in 1835 by pioneer Presley Saunders.- History :...
to Lester (a business entrepreneur) and Patricia Deck (homemaker). He is the eldest of three brothers, the youngest, Brian Deck
Brian Deck
Brian Deck is an American music producer and member of band Red Red Meat. He co-founded Idful Studios in 1988. Since becoming a full time producer, Deck has worked with bands and artists including Modest Mouse, Iron & Wine, Califone, All Smiles, Fruit Bats , Gomez, The Grates, Holopaw, Baby & Hide,...
, is a music producer and John, a contractor.
Barry Deck graduated in 1986 from Northern Illinois University
Northern Illinois University
Northern Illinois University is a state university and research institution located in DeKalb, Illinois, with satellite centers in Hoffman Estates, Naperville, Rockford, and Oregon. It was originally founded as Northern Illinois State Normal School on May 22, 1895 by Illinois Governor John P...
. He then worked briefly as a graphic designer for Lipman + Simons and then Kym Abrams Design in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Illinois, before enrolling in the Master of Fine Arts program at California Institute of the Arts
California Institute of the Arts
The California Institute of the Arts, commonly referred to as CalArts, is located in Valencia, in Los Angeles County, California. It was incorporated in 1961 as the first degree-granting institution of higher learning in the United States created specifically for students of both the visual and the...
(CalArts) in Valencia, California in 1987. His studies in deconstruction
Deconstruction
Deconstruction is a term introduced by French philosopher Jacques Derrida in his 1967 book Of Grammatology. Although he carefully avoided defining the term directly, he sought to apply Martin Heidegger's concept of Destruktion or Abbau, to textual reading...
and typography
Typography
Typography is the art and technique of arranging type in order to make language visible. The arrangement of type involves the selection of typefaces, point size, line length, leading , adjusting the spaces between groups of letters and adjusting the space between pairs of letters...
were overseen by the likes of Jeffery Keedy
Jeffery Keedy
Jeffery Keedy is an American graphic designer, type designer, writer and educator.Keedy has been teaching design at the California Institute of the Arts since 1985. Keedy was also a frequent contributor to Emigre magazine throughout the twenty years of its publication...
and Ed Fella
Ed Fella
Ed Fella is an artist, educator and graphic designer whose work has had an important influence on contemporary typography. Ed worked as a commerical artist designing...
.1,2 He graduated in the Spring of 1989.
Early fame
Having already emerged during his time at CalArts as a member of the typographic vanguard, Deck released three fonts in 1989 entitled; Canicopulus Script, Barry Sans Serif, and Mutant Industry Roman. However, in 1990, his font Template Gothic, was the runaway hit that effectively sealed his design legacy.Mr. Deck describes the avante-garde appeal of Template Gothic with his statement published by Emigre
Emigre
Emigre, also known as Emigre Graphics, is a digital type foundry, publisher and distributor of graphic design centered information based in Berkeley, California, that was founded in 1984 by husband-and-wife team Rudy VanderLans and Zuzana Licko. The type foundry also published Emigre magazine...
: "[This] typeface reflects my interest in type that is not perfect; type that reflects more truly the imperfect language of an imperfect world, inhabited by imperfect beings."3
Template Gothic became one of the most popular fonts of the '90s.4 Riding on its success, Deck released a handful of typefaces; Bombadeer and Industry Sans (1990), Caustic Biomorph (1992), Arbitrary (1992), and Cyberotica (1994). At this time, Deck also ventured into motion graphics for TV commercials, most notably spots for the Crystal Pepsi
Crystal Pepsi
Crystal Pepsi was a caffeine-free soft drink made by PepsiCo from 1992 to 1993 in the United States, Canada, and for a short time in Australia. Crystal Pepsi was sold for a longer time in Europe.-History:...
campaign in 1992, Reebok
Reebok
Reebok International Limited, a subsidiary of the German sportswear company Adidas since 2005, is a producer of Athletic shoes, apparel, and accessories. The name comes from the Afrikaans spelling of rhebok, a type of African antelope or gazelle...
Shoes, Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (TV channel)
Nickelodeon, often simply called Nick and originally named Pinwheel, is an American children's channel owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 7–17, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers...
and Vox.
Raygun Magazine
By the end of the '90s, Barry Deck had established himself as a sought after typographer and motion designer in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, but in 1998 he was asked to come back to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
to redesign and art direct Raygun Magazine. He enlisted the help of his friend Warren Corbitt (then a Graduate Student at Cranbrook Academy of Art) and together they spent three months transforming Raygun.
The collaborative redesign banished the "grunge" look that Raygun Magazine had become famous for. The resulting magazine embodied a style and spirit Deck would refer to as "Immaculate filth". A term he continues to use to this day.
Recent work
After seven issues with Raygun, Deck returned to New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. While teaching at Pratt Institute
Pratt Institute
Pratt Institute is a private art college in New York City located in Brooklyn, New York, with satellite campuses in Manhattan and Utica. Pratt is one of the leading undergraduate art schools in the United States and offers programs in Architecture, Graphic Design, History of Art and Design,...
in Brooklyn, he consulted for various advertising and branding agencies, before becoming Creative Director at Ogilvy & Mather
Ogilvy & Mather
Ogilvy & Mather is an international advertising, marketing and public relations agency based in Manhattan and owned by the WPP Group. The company operates 497 offices in 125 countries with approximately 16,000 employees.-History:...
's Brand Integration Group (BIG). There, he led a team of designers on projects for SAP
SAP AG
SAP AG is a German software corporation that makes enterprise software to manage business operations and customer relations. Headquartered in Walldorf, Baden-Württemberg, with regional offices around the world, SAP is the market leader in enterprise application software...
, AT&T
AT&T
AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications corporation headquartered in Whitacre Tower, Dallas, Texas, United States. It is the largest provider of mobile telephony and fixed telephony in the United States, and is also a provider of broadband and subscription television services...
, and most notably, Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola is a carbonated soft drink sold in stores, restaurants, and vending machines in more than 200 countries. It is produced by The Coca-Cola Company of Atlanta, Georgia, and is often referred to simply as Coke...
. Having worked on existing and emerging Coke brands, he retains a strong design relationship with the company to this day. In 2007, he launched Barry Deck LLC, a branding firm based in New York and Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
which emphasizes building brands’ "relationships with consumers".