Graphic Artist Review- Martin Majoor / James Victore / Hugh Syme

Martin Majoor  is a Dutch type designer and graphic designer.

In 1988 Majoor started working as a graphic designer for the Vredenburg Music Centre in Utrecht. The design département of this concert hall was one of the first in the Netherlands to use an Apple Macintosh computer for its printed matter. The fact that there were only 16 typefaces available without features like old style figures, small caps and ligatures, made Majoor decide to make his own typeface. The result was Scala, one of the first Macintosh fonts with all these missing features.

In 1991 he was asked by Erik Spiekermann of FontShop International in Berlin to release FF Scala as its first serious text face in the FontFont Library. In 1993 FF Scala was augmented with a sans-serif version, FF Scala Sans. The sans and the serif versions complement each other, they follow the same principle of form but are two distinct designs. Both FF Scala and FF Scala Sans have become successful throughout the world.

In 1996 Majoor designed FF Scala Jewels, a quartet of classic decorative typefaces based on the capitals of FF Scala Bold. In 1998 the Scala family was augmented with 13 new versions, such as Scala Sans Light, Scala Sans Black and several condensed versions. FF Scala Hands contains several printer’s fists or manicules, based upon a design by Bruce Rogers from 1933.

James Victore  

James Victore is an author, designer, activist, artist and firestarter who teaches creatives how to illuminate their individual gifts in order to achieve personal greatness. Described as “part Darth Vader, part Yoda,” James is widely known for his timely wisdom and impassioned views about design and it’s place in the world. He reaches thousands online with his weekly video series and leads game-changing workshops and seminars that help creative types of all spheres live and work successfully. At the helm of his independently run design studio, James continually strives to make work that is sexy, strong and memorable; work that tows the line between the sacred and the profane.
   James’ work has been exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and is represented in the permanent collections of museums worldwide. His clients include Bobbi Brown Cosmetics, Moet & Chandon, Yohji Yamamoto and The City of New York. His work was published in a monograph titled, Victore who died and made you boss?  Victore teaches at the School of Visual Arts in NYC. He lives, loves and works in Brooklyn.

 

Hugh Syme is a Canadian graphic artist who well known for his album cover concepts. He also moonlights as a musician. His long list of clients include Geffen Records, EMI Records, Mercury Records, RCA Records, Capital Records and Sony Music. Syme is notably responsible for all of Rush's album cover art since 1975's Caress of Steel as well as creating Rush's famous Starman logo. In 1983 he told Jeffrey Morgan that he never imagined the band would use it as their main logo.