In the early 1990s, fresh out of grad school, I was working as the Design Director at the (now-defunct) Philadelphia Inquirer Sunday Magazine where, surrounded by writers and editors, I became interested myself in writing. At that time, the only writing credit I had to my name was my thesis, and the only person besides me who'd read it was Paul Rand, who wasn't terribly impressed. Undaunted, I mentioned all this to Steven Guarnaccia, who kindly mentioned it to Steve Heller, and a few days later this letter arrived.
Sight unseen, I was being offered a chance to write — to write about design! — for the AIGA Journal. I was over the moon, and leapt at the opportunity.
This marked the beginning of a long and rich collaboration and friendship, and I say this knowing that there are others who, like me, have benefited from Steve's pure generosity of spirit. Not only does he seem to write a book every ten minutes (and if you're missing any of them, we've provided links for our readers below), but he is always willing to share — a credit here, a recommendation there — all of them genuine and heartfelt and real. A willing collaborator, a supportive editor and a devoted friend to artists and designers across the globe, Steve Heller is about as close as we come, in America, to a national treasure. And today is his birthday.
Happy Birthday, Steve.
101 Books Authored, Co-Authored or Edited by Steven Heller
New Ornamental Type: Decorative Lettering in the Digital Age
Steven Heller & Gail Anderson
Thames & Hudson, 2010
Design School Confidential
Steven Heller & Lita Talarico
Rockport Publishers, 2009
Art Direction Explained, At Last!
Steven Heller & Veronique Vienne
Laurence King, 2009
Marketing Illustration: New Venues, New Styles, New Methods
Steven Heller & Marshall Arisman
Allworth Press, 2009
Anatomy of Design
Steven Heller & Mirko Ilic
Rockport, 2009
Illustration: A Visual History
Steven Heller & Seymour Chwast
Abrams, 2008
Design Disasters
Steven Heller, editor
Allworth Press, 2008
The Design Entrepreneur
Steven Heller & Lita Talarico
Rockport, 2008
Iron Fists
Steven Heller & Mirko Ilic
Phaidon, 2008
Steven Heller & Michael Dooley
Allworth, 2008
Steven Heller & Gail Anderson
Watson-Guptill, 2007
The Education of a Photographer
Steven Heller, Charles H. Traub & Adam B. Bell
Allworth, 2006
Stylepedia
Steven Heller & Louise Fili
Chronicle, 2006
Nigel Holmes On Information Design
Steven Heller
Jorge Pinto, 2006
Handwritten: Expressive Lettering in the Digital Age
Steven Heller & Mirko Ilic
Thames & Hudson, 2006
Becoming a Graphic Designer
Steven Heller & Teresa Fernandes
Wiley, 2005
The Education of an Art Director
Steven Heller & Veronique Vienne
Allworth, 2005
The Education of a Graphic Designer
Steven Heller & Veronique Vienne
Allworth, 2005
Cuban Carnival
Steven Heller & Vicki Gold Levi
Universe, 2005
The Education Of A Comics Artist
Steven Heller & Michael Dooley
Allworth, 2005
Euro Deco: Graphic Design Between the Wars
Steven Heller & Louise Fili
Chronicle, 2005
Design Literacy: Understanding Graphic Design
Steven Heller
Allworth, 2004
Times Square Style
Steven Heller & Vicki Gold Levi
Princeton Architectural Press, 2004
Hola Cuba!
Steven Heller & Vicki Gold Levi, editors
Little Bookroom, 2004
The Designer's Guide to Astounding Photoshop Effects
Steven Heller & Gail Anderson, editors
North Light Books, 2004
Bandit Love
Steven Heller, editor
North Light Books, 2004
East Side West Side
Steven Heller, editor
Little Bookroom, 2004
The Education of a Typographer
Steven Heller, editor
Allworth, 2004
Teaching Graphic Design
Steven Heller, editor
Allworth, 2003
Citizen Designer
Steven Heller & Veronique Vienne, editors
Allworth, 2003
Merz to Emigre and Beyond
Steven Heller
Phaidon, 2003
Cuba Style
Steven Heller & V. Levi
Princeton Architectural Press, 2002
Design Humor
Steven Heller
Allworth, 2002
Looking Closer 4
Steven Heller, William Drenttel & Michael Bierut, editors
Allworth, 2002
The Education of a Design Entrepreneur
Steven Heller
Allworth, 2002
The Graphic Design Reader
Steven Heller
Allworth, 2002
Counter Culture: The Allure of Mini-Mannequins
Steven Heller
Princeton Architectural Press, 2001
The Education of an E-Designer
Steven Heller, editor
Allworth, 2001
Graphic Design History
Steven Heller & Georgette Ballance
Allworth, 2001
Red Scared!
Steven Heller & Michael Barson
Chronicle, 2001
Graphic Style
Steven Heller & Seymour Chwast
Harry N. Abrams, 2001
Texts on Type
Steven Heller & Philip B. Meggs, editors
Allworth, 2001
Genius Moves
Steven Heller & Mirko Ilic
North Light Books, 2001
The Education of an Illustrator
Steven Heller & Marshall Arisman, editors
Allworth, 2000
Graphic Design Time Line
Steven Heller & Elinor Pettit
Allworth, 2000
Design Connoisseur
Steven Heller & Louise Fili
Allworth, 2000
Letterforms: Bawdy, Bad and Beautiful
Steven Heller & Christine Thompson
Watson-Guptill, 2000
Wedding Bell Blues
Steven Heller & Michael Barson
Chronicle, 2000
Paul Rand
Steven Heller
Phaidon, 2000
Looking Closer 3
Steven Heller, Jessica Helfand, Michael Bierut & Rick Poynor, editors
Allworth, 1999
Design Literacy (Continued)
Steven Heller
Allworth, 1999
Less Is More
Steven Heller & Anne Fink
North Light Books, 1999
Typology
Steven Heller & Louise Fili
Chronicle, 1998
German Modern
Steven Heller & Louise Fili
Chronicle, 1998
Design Dialogues
Steven Heller
Allworth, 1998
Belles Lettres A 19th Century French Writing Tablet
Steven Heller & Louise Fili
Chronicle, 1998
Belles Lettres An Arts and Crafts Writing Tablet
Steven Heller & Louise Fili
Chronicle, 1998
Belles Lettres An Art Deco Writing Tablet
Steven Heller & Louise Fili
Chronicle, 1998
Belles Lettres An Art Nouveau Writing Tablet
Steven Heller & Louise Fili
Chronicle, 1998
British Modern
Steven Heller & Louise Fili
Chronicle, 1998
Food Wrap
Steven Heller
St. Martin's, 1998
Design Culture
Steven Heller & Marie Finamore, editors
Allworth, 1997
Teenage Confidential
Steven Heller & Michael Barson
Chronicle, 1997
Digital Designer
Steven Heller & Daniel Drennan
Watson-Guptill, 1997
Deco Espana
Steven Heller & Louise Fili
Chronicle, 1997
Looking Closer 2
Steven Heller, Michael Beirut, William Drenttel & DK Holland, editors
Allworth, 1997
Faces on the Edge
Steven Heller &
Anne Fink
Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1997
Deco Type
Steven Heller & Louise Fili
Chronicle, 1997
Magazines Inside & Out
Steven Heller & Teresa Fernandes
PBC International, 1997
That's Entertainment
Steven Heller & Anne Fink
PBC International, 1997
Low Budget
Steven Heller
Watson-Guptill, 1997
Newsletters Now
Steven Heller & Elinor Pettit
PBC International, 1997
American Typeplay
Steven Heller & Gail Anderson
PBC International, 1996
French Modern
Steven Heller & Louise Fili
Chronicle, 1996
Cover Story
Steven Heller & Louise Fili
Chronicle, 1996
Japanese Modern
Steven Heller, Seymour Chwast & Fraser
Chronicle, 1996
Business of Illustration
Steven Heller & Teresa Fernandes
Watson-Guptill, 1995
Jackets Required
Steven Heller & Seymour Chwast
Chronicle, 1995
Streamline
Steven Heller & Louise Fili
Chronicle, 1995
Looking Closer
Steven Heller, Michael Bierut, William Drenttel & DK Holland, editors
Allworth, 1994
Covers and Jackets!
Steven Heller & Anne Fink
Rizzoli, 1994
Designing for Children
Steven Heller & Steven Guarnaccia
Watson-Guptill, 1994
Graphic Style
Steven Heller & Seymour Chwast
Harry N Abrams, 1994
Dutch Moderne
Steven Heller & Louise Fili
Chronicle, 1994
Borrowed Design
Steven Heller & Julie Lasky
John Wiley & Sons, 1993
Savage Mirror
Steven Heller
Watson-Guptill, 1992
School Days
Steven Heller & Steven Guarnaccia
Abbeville, 1992
You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby
Steven Heller, Vicki Gold Levi & Seymour Chwast
Hyperion, 1992
Angry Graphics
Steven Heller & Karrie Jacobs
Gibbs Smith, 1992
Designing With Illustration
Steven Heller & Karen Pomeroy
Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1990
Trylon and Perisphere
Steven Heller, Barbara Cohen & Seymour Chwast
Harry N Abrams, 1989
Sourcebook of Visual Ideas
Steven Heller
Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1989
New York Observed
Steven Heller, Barbara Cohen & Seymour Chwast, editors
Harry N Abrams, 1987
Innovators of American Illustration
Steven Heller, editor
Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1986
Art Against War
Steven Heller, D. J. R. Bruckner & Seymour Chwast
Abbeville,1984
Man Bites Man
Steven Heller, editor
Hutchinson, 1981
Artists Christmas Cards
Steven Heller
Fireside, 1981
25 More Books Authored, Co-Authored or Edited by Steven Heller
The Book of Waters (A&W Press) - 1979
The Empire State Building Book (St. Martins) - 1979
Sin City Fables (A&W Press) - 1980
Jules Feiffer's America (Knopf) - 1981
War Heads: Cartoonists for a Nuclear Weapons Freeze (Penguin) - 1982
The Art of Satire: Painters as Cartoonists and Caricaturists for Delacroix to Picasso (Horizon Press) - 1984
Seymour Chwast: The Left Handed Designer (Abrams) - 1985
The Fifties Revisited (Universe) - 1985
The Little Theatre: A Christmas Carol (Viking Kestrel) - 1985
Design Career (Van Nostrand Reinhold) - 1987
Graphic Style: From Victorian to Post-Modern (Abrams) - 1987
Low Budget/High Quality Design: The Art of Inexpensive Visual Communications (Watson Guptil) - 1988
Graphic Wit: The Art of Humor in Design (Watson Guptil) - 1989
Carta Italiana (Chronicle) - 1995
100 Best Posters of Europe and America (Toppan) - 1997
Papier Francias (Chronicle Giftworks) - 1999
The Italian Art Deco Address Book (Chronicle Giftworks) - 1999
Design Dialogues (Allworth Press) - 1998
Becoming a Graphic Designer (Van Nostrand) - 1999
Sex Appeal: The Art of Allure in Advertising and Graphic Design (Allworth) - 2000
Graphic Design Timeline (Allworth Press) - 2000
Genius Rules: 100 Icons of Graphic Design (North Light Press) - 2001
The Push Pin Graphic (Chronicle Books) - Fall 2004
Inside the Illustration Business (Allworth Press) - Fall 2004
Design Literacy Revised (Allworth Press) - Fall 2004
