Abstract:

The American graphic designer Alvin Lustig (1915–1955) was inspired by the fine arts of
his time, so his work reveals much about both design and art of the 1930s, forties, and fifties.
The close relationship between Lustig’s work and fine art allows design historians to turn to
art historical writing for help in analyzing Lustig’s work. With the help of art history, analyses
of Lustig’s work can move beyond biographical chronology to broader studies of context.
Design historians need the help of art history’s investigations because there still isn’t much
graphic design history that attempts to analyze the evolution of taste. However, growth in
graphic design education and a parallel interest in graphic design history may spur more
complex studies in the future.
The following text examines Lustig’s book cover designs for the publisher New Directions
by investigating relationships between the covers and some trends in art and design at the
time of their creation. This paper is an attempt to move beyond biography and understand
why these covers were designed the way they were.