Lance Wyman was born in newark, new jersey in 1937. he graduated from pratt institute, brooklyn, new york in 1960 with a degree in industrial design. early in his career he worked at general motors before moving to william schmidt and then onto the office of george nelson. he moved to mexico city in 1967 to design the graphics for the 1968 olympic games and subsequently the identities for mexico city metro and the 1970 world cup. upon returning to new york in 1971 he opened an office together with bill cannan (wyman & cannan) before establishing his own studio, lance wyman ltd. in 1979. lance also teaches corporate and wayfinding design at parsons school of design in new york and has done so since 1973.
Designer Interview With Lance Wyman @LanceWymanNews #designerinterview #LogoDesign #Branding #DesignThinkinghttps://t.co/vPW4P5nm4O pic.twitter.com/e9oHf8JeEf
— The Logo Creative™ (@thelogocreative) February 7, 2018
The Logo Creative – Hi Lance it’s great news that your taking part in our designer interview series and it’s such a pleasure to be featuring you.
Lance Wyman – Good Questions Andrew, I will see if I can help with some good answers.
The Logo Creative – What was the turning point in your life when you decided to become a designer and how did you proceed?
Lance Wyman – I wasn’t a good student in High School and I had no idea of what I wanted to do after graduation. I was popular and was President of my Senior Class and was interviewed by the school newspaper. When asked what my plans were after graduation, and being the kid in the class who could draw, I said I had “decided on art but was undecided about college.” When I read the paper it sounded like a good idea. It wasn’t easy but I finally got into Pratt Institute in Brooklyn and my quest to become a designer began.
The Logo Creative – What does your day consist of?
Lance Wyman – Start the day with a half hour meditation, walk a mile and a half in Central Park (used to run three miles but an old football injured knee likes walking better). Have a bite to eat, shower, and then go to work in my studio. I live in a townhouse on Manhattan’s Upper West Side and my studio is in the same building. Enjoy a good lunch and knock off at seven or so. Some of my work is in Mexico and other places so I do a bit of flying around.
Lance Wymans Studio
The Logo Creative – What was the first logo you ever designed?
Lance Wyman – A hypothetical “H” logo for Hyatt Roller Bearings at a General Motors student summer program in 1959.
The Logo Creative – What is your favourite Logo you have designed?
Lance Wyman – I like different logos for different reasons but the MEXICO68 logo for the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City is tops
Lance Wyman in the NUCA Gallery in front of the Mexico ’68 logo
Lance Wyman with the mexico 68 logo at the time of the games the original photo by malcolm kirk
Compass sketch for the 1968 mexico olympics logo
Mexico 68 logo Lockups
The Logo Creative – What is your favourite Logo of all time? (this will be included)
Lance Wyman – Pirelli
The Logo Creative – Can you describe or give us an overview of your logo design process?
Lance Wyman – Understand what I going to represent, try different design ideas, usually settle on one and refine it, review with client, develop the program once we establish the go ahead.
The Logo Creative – In your opinion regarding Logo Design pricing do you prefer working on a fixed rate or customer budget and can you explain why?
Lance Wyman – That depends on the situation. If a large budget is available I’ll take it. If I like a project and there is little or no budget I sometimes take that too. I try to only do work that I enjoy and want to do.
The Logo Creative – How long does it take to complete the average logo design project from start to finish?
Lance Wyman – That is really a moving target. Sometimes an idea comes right away, sometimes it takes months of back and forth. Many of my logo designs are part of a larger project so the finish can take a long time, years sometimes.
Lance Wyman Logo’s in Spiral Timeline
The Logo Creative – Are you a MAC or PC User and is there a reason for your choice?
Lance Wyman – I have been on a MAC since my first Mac+ back in the 80’s.
Lance Wyman in his Studio using his iMac
The Logo Creative – Which software do you use frequently?
Lance Wyman – Illustrator and Photoshop
The Logo Creative – What is your favourite style of logo design? And why?
Lance Wyman – I seem to migrate to simple with meaning
The Logo Creative – What is your daily inspiration when you design?
Lance Wyman – Just having another day is inspiration enough
The Logo Creative – In your opinion what’s the best and worst part of your job been a designer?
Lance Wyman – The best is having a refreshing idea, the worst is failing to bring a refreshing idea to life.
The Logo Creative – Who is the most inspiring person to you and why?
Lance Wyman – Frank Lloyd Wright continues to inspire me with the beauty and depth he accomplished with his architecture.
The Logo Creative – Who is your favourite Graphic Designer and why?
Lance Wyman – Leo Lionni is certainly one of my favorites. I have always liked his wit and depth and love his circle, square and triangle books.
The Logo Creative – What’s your favourite design quote?
Lance Wyman – This might not be a design quote but Einstein’s “Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler” is one that I try to incorporate into my work.
The Logo Creative – In less than 10 words what is graphic design?
Lance Wyman – Visual expression mandated to communicate specific messages.
The Logo Creative – What steps did you take to start your graphic design business? Did you have to make any sacrifices on your journey?
Lance Wyman – I tried to get as much hands on experience with good designers and design offices before I went on my own. It worked for me and I didn’t make any major sacrifices.
The Logo Creative – Do you have any regrets? Is there anything you would have changed early on in your career?
Lance Wyman – No regrets
The Logo Creative – If you could go back in time, what would you tell your younger self?
Lance Wyman – Keep following your nose, you are doing good
The Logo Creative – What’s the most important piece of advice you have received as a designer that’s helped you?
Lance Wyman – I think that Einstein quote has helped me. Making something simple is easy, it’s being able to recognize when you’ve made it too simple and it’s gotten dumb that’s hard.
The Logo Creative – What would be your advice for new Logo and Graphic Designers?
Lance Wyman – Make an effort to really understand what you are out to represent. Don’t start out with attitude. See as clearly as you can what you are dealing with. And, don’t overlook the obvious, the obvious can be transformed and powerful because it is familiar.
learn more about Lance Wyman | Lance Wyman.com| Wikipedia