Lance Wyman: Mxico

Widely admired for his powerful but whimsical imagery, Lance Wyman is a leading figure of contemporary graphic design. Throughout a career that spans over 50 years, Wyman has made his name by designing for museums, zoos, metro stations and the 2008 Barack Obama presidential campaign. But it was when he won a competition at age 29 to design the Mexico Olympic graphics for the 1968 games that Wyman launched his career; his work is now a cornerstone for understanding the visual culture of present-day Mexico. In lieu of the extravagance typical of Olympic designs, Wyman offered something refreshing, spacious and above all modern as he unwittingly entered a tumultuous and revolutionary moment in Mexican history. His bold image of a modern Mexico would last beyond the nation's moment in the international spotlight; Wyman stayed for another four years, designing graphic systems for the Mexico City Metro, Central de Abasto and Camino Real Hotel. This bilingual English-Spanish monograph is the very first retrospective publication on the designer's work. Published in conjunction with an exhibition at MUAC in Mexico City, the book celebrates the influence of Wyman's system of visual iconswork so iconic that we find its traces in the emojis available on iPhones today.
Lance Wyman (born 1937) is an American graphic designer. He graduated from Pratt Institute in 1960 when graphic design had just been introduced to American universities. After his work in Mexico, Wyman eventually established his own firm, Lance Wyman Ltd., in New York City.