{"id":21311,"date":"2015-01-18T15:54:20","date_gmt":"2015-01-18T20:54:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/designlife\/?p=1853"},"modified":"2015-01-18T15:54:20","modified_gmt":"2015-01-18T20:54:20","slug":"make-believe-the-work-of-alexander-isley","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/architecture\/2015\/01\/18\/make-believe-the-work-of-alexander-isley\/","title":{"rendered":"MAKE, BELIEVE: The Work of Alexander Isley"},"content":{"rendered":"
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MAKE, BELIEVE: The Work of Alexander Isley<\/span><\/div>\n
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Alexander Isley kicked off the inaugural Designlife\u00ae Alumni Lecture Series<\/em>, hosted by the NC State College of Design, with a presentation of his work. The event was held at the Hunt Library on NC State\u2019s Centennial Campus. Alexander first gained recognition in the early 1980’s as the senior designer at M&Co. He went on to serve as the first art director of Spy magazine. His work is in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art, the Smithsonian Institution, and the Library of Congress. Isley the recipient of the 2014 American Institute of Graphic Arts [AIGA] Medal of Honor, the highest honor of the design profession, awarded for distinguished achievement and contributions to the field.<\/p>\n

<\/h4>\n

Award-winning designer and former NC State student Alexander Isley drew hundreds of attendees to his lectures in D.H. Hill and Hunt libraries where he discussed how his time at NC State helped shape his career as a successful graphic designer and business owner Thursday evening. Isley, a former student in the College of Design, was invited back to NC State to speak on behalf of the NCSU Libraries\u2019 Amazing Alumni series and the College of Design\u2019s Designlife series. Immediately following the Amazing Alumni event at D.H. Hill, Isley spoke at Hunt Library for \u201cMake, Believe: The Work of Alexander Isley,\u201d kicking off the inaugural Designlife Alumni Lecture Series.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I was a student, I didn\u2019t know what kind of designer I wanted to be, and I still don\u2019t,\u201d Isley said. \u201cI like designing all different types of things.\u201d\u00a0Over the span of his career, Isley has had the opportunity to work with a number of organizations. After attending NC State, Isley became the senior designer at M&Co., an influential design firm, and then became the first full-time art director for Spy magazine, a publication known for its satirical content throughout the \u201880s and \u201890s.\u00a0Isley has been the creative director for his own company, Alexander Isley Inc., since its inception in 1988.\u00a0\u201cWe are identity and communication designers,\u201d Isley said. \u201cWe work with companies and organizations to help develop their identities and convey a mission statement to the public through design.\u201d<\/p>\n

Isley\u2019s company has worked on a number of influential projects, including branding for Youth Service America, Armani Jeans and Goodwill. \u201cWhen we start any assignment, we talk to our clients and make sure they know who they are, and that they are confident in what they are before we start designing things for them,\u201d Isley said. \u201cWe start asking them questions like, \u2018Tell me in a sentence what makes you different\u2019 and half of the time people can\u2019t even do that, so we go through experiences to help establish what their position is.\u201d Isley was invited back to NC State to help create the communication and signage systems for Hunt Library. His company also designed the colorful backdrops found in the computer workstations.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was always inspired by the color wall that is in D.H. Hill that was designed by Joe Cox, who was an artist and teacher at NC State University many years ago,\u201d Isley said. \u201cSo what we decided to do for the computer workstations was to tie the missions of the two libraries together to echo that look, so we took the colors from his wall and created over 80 different panels, and no two are alike.\u201d\u00a0Isley also reflected on how he first became interested in pursuing a career in design.\u00a0\u201cMy dad was an architect, and also a graduate from NC State\u2019s school of design,\u201d Isley said. \u201cI would watch him draw up a building, and then a year later you could walk through it. That, to me, was just magic.\u201d<\/p>\n

Isley took the inspiration from his father and began designing and building playgrounds for the kids in the neighborhood at the age of 14.\u00a0\u201cI would get paid to do this,\u201d Isley said. \u201cAnd this is when I started to realize that design was a good way to make a living.\u201d\u00a0When deciding where to attend college, Isley, a Durham native, was not always set on coming to NC State.\u00a0\u201cI looked at a lot of schools, and they either wanted to see a portfolio, or they wanted to see grades,\u201d Isley said. \u201cNC State was the only place that wanted to see both, and that impressed me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Isley left his audience with a piece of advice. \u201cI think it\u2019s really important to put yourself in a position where you are over your head and terrified because once you start feeling really comfortable you have to move on to the next challenge,\u201d Isley said. \u201cIf you are comfortable when you are 22 years old, then you are not doing something right. You need to keep learning, and I think that goes throughout your whole life.\u201d\u00a0Nick Sorensen, a sophomore studying history, said he also feels that people should continue learning throughout their entire lives.\u00a0\u201cHaving challenges builds character and makes you a better, more successful person,\u201d Sorensen said.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Re-published from a recent article<\/a> in the NC State University student newspaper, The Technician<\/em>, by Staff Writer, Rachel Smith<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

About Alexander Isley<\/strong><\/p>\n

Alexander first gained recognition in the early 1980s as the senior designer at M&Co. He went on to serve as the first full-time art director of Spy magazine. In 1988 Alexander founded Alexander Isley Inc.\u00a0in New York City. In 1995 he relocated the firm to Connecticut.<\/p>\n

Alexander holds a degree in Environmental Design from the School of Design at North Carolina State University and a BFA from The Cooper Union in New York. He has taught graphic design, typography, and exhibit design at Cooper Union, RISD, and the School of Visual Arts. He has also served as a lecturer and critic in the graduate program of the Yale School of Art.\u00a0 In 1993 Alexander was named an inaugural member of \u201cThe I.D. 40,\u201d a survey of the country\u2019s leading design innovators. His work is in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art, the Smithsonian Institution, and the Library of Congress. Alexander is a recipient of the NY Art Directors Club Herb Lubalin Memorial Award for Art Direction and Design, the NEA International Design Education Fellowship, and the Federal Design Achievement Award. He is past president of AIGA (the professional association for design) New York, and is currently a member of the AIGA\/CT advisory board and an AIGA Fellow. In a recent Graphic Design USA magazine poll, Alexander was named by his peers as one of the most influential designers of the past 50 years.<\/p>\n

Alexander Isley is a 2014 recipient of the AIGA medal of honor, the highest honor of the design profession, awarded for distinguished achievement and contributions to the field.
\nwww.alexanderisley.com<\/a>
\nThe event was generously sponsored by:<\/p>\n

AIGA Raleigh<\/strong>
\nhttp:\/\/raleigh.aiga.org\/<\/a><\/p>\n

New Kind<\/strong>
\nwww.newkind.com<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false,"raw":"

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
MAKE, BELIEVE: The Work of Alexander Isley<\/span><\/div>\n
\n
\n
\n\nAlexander Isley kicked off the inaugural Designlife\u00ae Alumni Lecture Series<\/em>, hosted by the NC State College of Design, with a presentation of his work. The event was held at the Hunt Library on NC State\u2019s Centennial Campus. Alexander first gained recognition in the early 1980's as the senior designer at M&Co. He went on to serve as the first art director of Spy magazine. His work is in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art, the Smithsonian Institution, and the Library of Congress. Isley the recipient of the 2014 American Institute of Graphic Arts [AIGA] Medal of Honor, the highest honor of the design profession, awarded for distinguished achievement and contributions to the field.\n

<\/h4>\nAward-winning designer and former NC State student Alexander Isley drew hundreds of attendees to his lectures in D.H. Hill and Hunt libraries where he discussed how his time at NC State helped shape his career as a successful graphic designer and business owner Thursday evening. Isley, a former student in the College of Design, was invited back to NC State to speak on behalf of the NCSU Libraries\u2019 Amazing Alumni series and the College of Design\u2019s Designlife series. Immediately following the Amazing Alumni event at D.H. Hill, Isley spoke at Hunt Library for \u201cMake, Believe: The Work of Alexander Isley,\u201d kicking off the inaugural Designlife Alumni Lecture Series.\n\n\u201cWhen I was a student, I didn\u2019t know what kind of designer I wanted to be, and I still don\u2019t,\u201d Isley said. \u201cI like designing all different types of things.\u201d\u00a0Over the span of his career, Isley has had the opportunity to work with a number of organizations. After attending NC State, Isley became the senior designer at M&Co., an influential design firm, and then became the first full-time art director for Spy magazine, a publication known for its satirical content throughout the \u201880s and \u201890s.\u00a0Isley has been the creative director for his own company, Alexander Isley Inc., since its inception in 1988.\u00a0\u201cWe are identity and communication designers,\u201d Isley said. \u201cWe work with companies and organizations to help develop their identities and convey a mission statement to the public through design.\u201d\n\nIsley\u2019s company has worked on a number of influential projects, including branding for Youth Service America, Armani Jeans and Goodwill. \u201cWhen we start any assignment, we talk to our clients and make sure they know who they are, and that they are confident in what they are before we start designing things for them,\u201d Isley said. \u201cWe start asking them questions like, \u2018Tell me in a sentence what makes you different\u2019 and half of the time people can\u2019t even do that, so we go through experiences to help establish what their position is.\u201d Isley was invited back to NC State to help create the communication and signage systems for Hunt Library. His company also designed the colorful backdrops found in the computer workstations.\n\n\u201cI was always inspired by the color wall that is in D.H. Hill that was designed by Joe Cox, who was an artist and teacher at NC State University many years ago,\u201d Isley said. \u201cSo what we decided to do for the computer workstations was to tie the missions of the two libraries together to echo that look, so we took the colors from his wall and created over 80 different panels, and no two are alike.\u201d\u00a0Isley also reflected on how he first became interested in pursuing a career in design.\u00a0\u201cMy dad was an architect, and also a graduate from NC State\u2019s school of design,\u201d Isley said. \u201cI would watch him draw up a building, and then a year later you could walk through it. That, to me, was just magic.\u201d\n\nIsley took the inspiration from his father and began designing and building playgrounds for the kids in the neighborhood at the age of 14.\u00a0\u201cI would get paid to do this,\u201d Isley said. \u201cAnd this is when I started to realize that design was a good way to make a living.\u201d\u00a0When deciding where to attend college, Isley, a Durham native, was not always set on coming to NC State.\u00a0\u201cI looked at a lot of schools, and they either wanted to see a portfolio, or they wanted to see grades,\u201d Isley said. \u201cNC State was the only place that wanted to see both, and that impressed me.\u201d\n\nIsley left his audience with a piece of advice. \u201cI think it\u2019s really important to put yourself in a position where you are over your head and terrified because once you start feeling really comfortable you have to move on to the next challenge,\u201d Isley said. \u201cIf you are comfortable when you are 22 years old, then you are not doing something right. You need to keep learning, and I think that goes throughout your whole life.\u201d\u00a0Nick Sorensen, a sophomore studying history, said he also feels that people should continue learning throughout their entire lives.\u00a0\u201cHaving challenges builds character and makes you a better, more successful person,\u201d Sorensen said.\n\n \n\nRe-published from a recent article<\/a> in the NC State University student newspaper, The Technician<\/em>, by Staff Writer, Rachel Smith<\/strong>\n\n \n\nAbout Alexander Isley<\/strong>\n\nAlexander first gained recognition in the early 1980s as the senior designer at M&Co. He went on to serve as the first full-time art director of Spy magazine. In 1988 Alexander founded Alexander Isley Inc.\u00a0in New York City. In 1995 he relocated the firm to Connecticut.\n\nAlexander holds a degree in Environmental Design from the School of Design at North Carolina State University and a BFA from The Cooper Union in New York. He has taught graphic design, typography, and exhibit design at Cooper Union, RISD, and the School of Visual Arts. He has also served as a lecturer and critic in the graduate program of the Yale School of Art.\u00a0 In 1993 Alexander was named an inaugural member of \u201cThe I.D. 40,\u201d a survey of the country\u2019s leading design innovators. His work is in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art, the Smithsonian Institution, and the Library of Congress. Alexander is a recipient of the NY Art Directors Club Herb Lubalin Memorial Award for Art Direction and Design, the NEA International Design Education Fellowship, and the Federal Design Achievement Award. He is past president of AIGA (the professional association for design) New York, and is currently a member of the AIGA\/CT advisory board and an AIGA Fellow. In a recent Graphic Design USA magazine poll, Alexander was named by his peers as one of the most influential designers of the past 50 years.\n\nAlexander Isley is a 2014 recipient of the AIGA medal of honor, the highest honor of the design profession, awarded for distinguished achievement and contributions to the field.\nwww.alexanderisley.com<\/a>\nThe event was generously sponsored by:\n\n\nAIGA Raleigh<\/strong>\nhttp:\/\/raleigh.aiga.org\/<\/a>\n\n\n\nNew Kind<\/strong>\nwww.newkind.com<\/a>\n\n \n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>"},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Alexander Isley, a former student in the College of Design, was invited back to NC State to speak on behalf of the Amazing Alumni series and the Designlife series. His presentation \u201cMake, Believe: The Work of Alexander Isley,\u201d kicked off the inaugural Designlife Alumni Lecture Series.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":21355,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"source":"","ncst_custom_author":"","ncst_show_custom_author":false,"ncst_dynamicHeaderBlockName":"","ncst_dynamicHeaderData":"","ncst_content_audit_freq":"","ncst_content_audit_date":"","ncst_content_audit_display":false,"ncst_backToTopFlag":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,1],"tags":[15],"class_list":["post-21311","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumni-experience","category-uncategorized","tag-graphic-design"],"displayCategory":null,"acf":{"ncst_posts_meta_modified_date":null},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/architecture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21311","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/architecture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/architecture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/architecture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/architecture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21311"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/architecture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21311\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/architecture\/wp-json\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/architecture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21311"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/architecture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21311"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/architecture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21311"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}