Ted Audio Collective.

Audio Collective.

This is Design Matters with Debbie Millman from design observer.com.

On this program, Debbie Millman talks with graphic designer Alexander Iceley about his days as the art director of Spy magazine,

about opening his own business, and about his design process.

I think the way that it looks is usually the last thing that I figure out if it really doesn't communicate when it needs to it doesn't work.

Here's Debbie Millman.

Back in the mid-1980s, Alexander Isley worked for T-Bor-Kellman at Emman Company, the innovative design

shop where the likes of Stephen Doyle and Emily Oberman also made their mark.

In the late 80s, Alex was the art director of Spy, the satirical magazine that boldly experimented

with Typeface and layout. magazine that

the boldly experimented with typeface and layout. For more than 20 years, he has been principal of the eponymous

Alexander Isley, Inc.

whose clients include Starbucks, Armani, the New York Times, and the Brooklyn Academy of Music.

His work has been collected by Moma and other museums, and he is an inaugural member of the

ID40, ID magazine survey of the country's leading design

innovators.

Welcome to Design Matters, Alex.

Hello, Debbie, it's my pleasure to be here with you.

Well, I was thinking about your visit to the studio today and I was thinking about how long you've been a hero and I almost always have my heroes on the show but you're like an Uber

hero you're in this like separate sort of high-altitude universe of hero-dom

for me.

...