George Lois

George Lois
George Loisis an American art director, designer, and author. Lois is perhaps best known for over 92 covers he designed for Esquire magazine from 1962 to 1972. In 2008, The Museum of Modern Art exhibited 32 of Lois' Esquire covers...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionArtist
Date of Birth26 June 1931
CountryUnited States of America
agency closed great guy worked
Doyle Dane Bernbach was a great, great agency when I got there. There was an arrogance that everyone had, but it was a closed club. I was a guy who worked a little differently. Edgier. More punch-in-the-mouth.
bad client force incredibly job life nobody piece please produce work
Nobody should force you to do a bad piece of work in your whole life - no client, no creative director, nobody. The job isn't to please the client; the job is to produce something for the client that makes them incredibly successful.
arts blow certainly courage graphics people work zero
In professional work - certainly in the arts and graphics - 99% of people have zero courage. They blow with the wind.
people work
If you work with convictions, people have got to listen to you.
brightest work
I look in the mirror, and I work with the brightest person I know.
continue creative days directors excuse fighting fought great talk wars work
I talk to all the creative directors today, and they take me aside, and they say, 'You know, it must have been great back in those days when you could do anything you wanted.' I say, 'Huh? Excuse me?' I mean, we fought. In the '60s and '70s, you fought wars with clients, and you have to continue fighting wars to do great work.
challenge coming confronted creative innovative mind whatever work
Whatever the creative industry, when you're confronted with the challenge of coming up with a Big Idea, always work with the most talented, innovative mind available. Hopefully... that's you.
inspiration design great-work
To create great work, here's how you must spend your time: 1% Inspiration 9% Perspiration 90% Justification
ask classes museum nobody raises school sharp visual
When I teach classes at the School of Visual Arts,, I'll ask the students, 'How many of you have been to a museum this year?' Nobody raises their hand and I go into a tirade. If you want to do something sharp and innovative, you have to know what went on before.
brad including julia leonardo magazine match oprah possibly punch visual
These days, no celebrity on a magazine cover, including Brad Pitt, Oprah Winfrey, Julia Roberts, or Leonardo DiCaprio, could possibly match the visual punch of Alfred E. Neuman, the gap-toothed, grinning boy, goofily peeking out at us on the newsstand.
brand great insight move name truly
Sometimes all the 'marketing' insight in the world can't move a client, but the creation of a truly great brand name can become a billion-dollar idea!
age art audacious bear cast characters communication heroic history shakers
The 1960s was a heroic age in the history of the art of communication - the audacious movers and shakers of those times bear no resemblance to the cast of characters in 'Mad Men.'
dynamic exciting magazine people supposed telling
You don't create a magazine for your readers. You don't take a poll, you know, like the politicians do, and find out what they're thinking and what they want... You're supposed to be telling people what the hell you think is exciting and dynamic and thought-provoking, and do it - and do it your way.
advertising client finally knocks
With the way I worked, a client can give me everything they know about something, and then I go away and come back with advertising that knocks them out of their chair. They finally understand what kind of a company they are.