From Voice ~ Topics: graphic design, history, typography
Rebuilding a Legacy: The Gastrotypographicalassemblage
Each day our world changes, the old quickly vanishing, displaced by inspired new designs, new perspectives and brilliant imaginative creations. Society seemingly demands it, our fascination and appetite for embracing the new apparently endless. Who of us is not awed by the scale of Dubai’s architecture, amused by the latest television commercial, drawn to the value and logic of the Prius Hybrid automobile or the aesthetic and functional design of Apple’s iPhone?
But what of the abandoned—what responsibility do we have for preserving our displaced creations, yesterday’s symbols of inspiration, logic and creative ingenuity? Champions for the salvation of one such creation is the Center for Design Study, where I serve as executive director. This Atlanta nonprofit foundation is battling to preserve a seminal piece of America’s design history that for 20 years was mounted on the cafeteria wall of the CBS building. While some may not be aware of this inspiring three-dimensional memorial to typography, many are familiar with its creator, Lou Dorfsman. The CBS cafeteria wall is as legendary as its visionary designer and art director. Conceived in the mid-1960s and ultimately completed in 1966, the expansive wall, spanning over 35-feet wide and 8-feet tall, is a national design treasure. In producing the wall Dorfsman enlisted support from life-long friend and design legend Herb Lubalin. Lubalin, along with Tom Carnase, masterfully crafted the typography for the aptly dubbed “Gastrotypographicalassemblage.”
The original wall circa 1966 (top) and details of the gastro-typography (above).
Dorfsman, now approaching 90, considers the wall his magnum opus, his gift to the world. Unceremoniously discarded by CBS management in the early 1990s, the wall’s nine panels were thankfully salvaged by New York designer Nick Fasciano. Time and improper storage had ravaged the monument, however, leaving it in a state of disrepair. The Center for Design Study, having acquired the wall, is engaged in fundraising to support the meticulous and extensive restoration required. The goal is to see Dorfman’s wall restored to its full integrity and as part of a permanent traveling exhibition on historical American design, to serve as a tool for education and expanding awareness of the value of intelligently applied design. The wall is a window to the past that should be built up, not torn down.
(From left) A letter “B” in mid-restoration; Nick Fasciano restoring a word; various restored letters .
Too many once-revered icons may now only be found in books and journals or in some digitized visual library; the least fortunate are committed only to memory. Countless pieces of art and design are silently destroyed each year, lost forever, receiving only quiet bereavement after the fact. Many are lost to ignorance, either to their very existence or as historical symbols of our professions contributions in shaping our culture and its values. Loudly signaling acknowledgment to the inherent value of our professions artifacts, and the importance of their preservation, AIGA’s installment of a national design archive at the Denver Art Museum is to be applauded. But is it enough to simply belong to an organization that supports the design field’s creative contributions? I believe the answer to be a resounding no—we must each personally challenge ourselves to take responsible action, to celebrate not only the new but to respect our industry’s valued legacy and preserve the esteemed work of those who came before us.
Lou Dorfsman with his wall in the CBS cafeteria c. 1966 (top) and typography sketches by Herb Lubalin, c. 1965, from a 1975 article in U&lc, vol. 2, no.1.
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I suppose it was torn down because of its very dated aesthetic. The 1960s seems a bit early (in my 27 year old imagination at least) for the pseudo Victorian sensibility of these wood types; I always thought this came later, in the mid 1970s. At any rate, it is an ambitious and significant piece whose worth can only increase over time—especially as a result of the awareness being brought to it by this recent restoration campaign.
Perhaps the memory of the '60s is strong enough for some that pieces bearing its sensibilities still seem "campy". It is wise on the part of The Center for Design Study to restore and conserve this piece. It may be a while before it is considered important by general consensus, but in the meantime it does present a window into the past, a past near enough that many can still smell it in the breeze.
As a final thought I wonder whether Lou Dorfsman was consulted before they tore the wall down; if so, would he not have been able to describe the significance of the involvement of Lubalin? -
It is a bit dated, but what design isn't? It's part of the reason why this particular piece was discarded. Design is constantly changing and evolving.
I guess at some point it went from cutting edge design to cafeteria-trash and now it's being res-erected as art. -
I teach typography at Pratt Institute. This example of using type in a textural way is certainly worth maintaining and I would like to use this article to show my students in class. Incidentially, I have my students created out of cardboard and glue their own monogram in large letters. That exercise is always a hit, because the students really have to draw and cut, and mount the letterforms. It forces them to look at the letterform's design. Best wishe, Mike Hortens
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I agree that Mr. Dorfsman's masterpiece is a bit dated... But, so is the Mona Lisa or the Vatican for that matter.
I am extremely glad that it is being restored... for tall to enjoy. -
I cannot believe this is being tagged as "dated". This wall is a work of art people. The craftsmanship and time invested to complete this masterpiece are priceless and timeless. Therefore it should be appreciated for what it is and what it represents, not be judged by what design era it was created.
It is true that design is constantly evolving but it is also constantly revolving and renewing itself. We contemporary designers have a lot to learn from styles and techniques used in the past. -
This IS a piece of art. And sure, some people may think it's dated-looking. But open up your West Elm catalog and you will see a coffee table AND a rug that were both surely influenced by this. If anything, it is BACK in style. All the more reason to restore this as a piece of the history puzzle.
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That is a painstaking masterpiece. I would love to have that as tiling wallpaper on in my kitchen walls. Dorfsman was brilliant typographer.
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How can art ever be considered dated? This is art at its most classic.
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Look at his sketch its amazing. I can only dream of making something that cool. I am glad it is being restored.
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My father, the late graphic artist John Alcorn, had worked for Lou Dorfsman at CBS in the late 50s and early 60s and was involved in the creation of the wall. His distinctive illustrations, for example, contribute some of the splashes of color. I believe he saw it as a visual statement against the sterile, impersonal style that had come to dominate corporate design by that time (Helvetica was all the rage). So the wall is not only a beautiful tour-de-force of typographic play, but also an effort to humanize the work environment. The cafeteria was in the Black Rock building, remember!
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The bas-reliefs of Louise Nevelson accorded the status fine art. Shouldn't this be as well? As I look at this mural I find myself struck by the playful whimsy of the letter forms, and the exuberant rhythm of their interplay. What is more, I cannot help but feel a certain connection between the team of designers and the subject matter at hand; one indeed has a sense that they were "buon gustai", and that as such they reveled in the chance to give sensuous shape and form to the joy of... eating! Their delight in the pleasures of the palate are expressed through an amazing range of form and texture, one that echoes the very variety found in fruits, vegetables, cold cuts--and in food in general. What is more, the mural, not unlike a Pollock, appears to EMANATE light (for further confirmation of this, witness Dorfsman's inspired sketch). This mural is, to my mind, a most beautiful piece of art that can be appreciated on a multitude of levels; one that manages to celebrate in one fell swoop the myriad sources of inspiration that made these legendary designers "tick"--sources that include, but are not limited to, synthetic cubism (Stuart Davis in particular), (print) ephemera, the history of typography, and perhaps most importantly (and democratically?) the iconography of the popular, consumer culture of their (hey)day.
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I didn't even think that art like this had been torn down but I am glad that it's being restored.
I first saw this work in a book given to me by a friend in the 1980's-I was just out of art college and my first impulse was to ran my fingers against the print as if by doing so I could
actually feel the shapes and textures of the letters...it's an amazing piece of work! -
I'm also happy that this piece is being restored. I saw photos if it in an article in U&lc back in the 70s and was quite impressed then. I hope the traveling exhibition might make it to Europe.
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