Masters Series: Deborah Sussman

Sussman/Prejza & Co.: 20 Years of Inspiration and Collaboration Exhibit set for March 20 to April 7, 1995

Deborah Sussman, founder of Sussman/Prejza & Company, Inc., the firm celebrated for its pioneering achievements in environmental design, will be honored by the School of Visual Arts in a Master Series Exhibition.

By creating visual images and applying them in inventive ways to architectural and public spaces, Deborah Sussman has had a unique influence on the field of environmental graphic design. Her formative years were spent at the office of Charles and Ray Eames. An amalgam of folk art, regional visual idioms and cross-disciplinary experience creates what her company calls "urban enhancement." Her passion for the marriage of graphics and the built environment has led to collaborations with planners, architects, developers and other designers on multi-dimensional corporate, commercial and civic programs.

Since its inception 26 years ago, Sussman/Prejza has designed programs of increasing complexity, range and depth. Sussman/Prejza led the team that created the graphics and environments for the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles - a striking example of how the firm has blurred the line between architecture and graphics. It has been called a "milestone in the history of graphic design." Time magazine stated, "If there were a special gold medal for creative ingenuity, the U.S. Olympic Design team should win it."

The firm has continued to break new ground with many built projects in the United States and abroad. It is responsible for the design of the acclaimed signing program at Walt Disney World. Other clients include Hasbro, Inc.; Apple Computer, Inc.; and the Southern California Gas Company. Sussman/Prejza is a consultant to Times Square Associates and has recently completed a major interiors/graphics program at the new Gateway Arena in Cleveland including a visual identity for its basketball team, the Cavaliers. Currently, the firm is designing an image/interior program for the future New Jersey Center for the Performing Arts.

Exhibition

The Masters Series: Deborah Sussman