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Georg Olden - Lavi Tang

By Lavi Tang



Georg Olden was an AIGA medal-winning graphic designer who was known as the pioneer of broadcast graphics. Born in Birmingham, Alabama, Olden was the son of a Baptist minister and classically trained singer. He grew up in Washington D.C., followed by attending Virginia State College, before dropping out shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor to work as a graphic designer for the Office Strategic Services (OSS). From there, Olden supervisor recommended him to the agency's communications division Lawrence W. Lowman, who was also the VP of CBS's TV division. Olden eventually transitioned to working for CBS, as one of the first Black men to work in television. During this time, he supervised the identities of sports titles and supervised the identities of programs such as I Love Lucy and Lassie. He eventually headed a staff of 14 while being in charge of 60 weekly shows. 


CBS news titles: Years of Crisis and Capitol Hill to New York

CBS sports titles: Wrestling, Big Ten Basketball, The Masters Golf Tournament and The Kentucky Derby



In 1960, Olden took a job as a television group art director at the advertising agency BBDO. Ebony magazine featured him as "artist, a dreamer, a designer, a thinker, and a huskter." Though he soldiered on in corporate America, Olden conquered obstacles that denied other POC from advancement. Despite the efforts of the civil rights movement, Olden was ambitious. By 1963, he joined an elite department within the ad agency McCann-Erikson. That same year, he became the first African American to design a postage stamp, commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Emancipation  Proclamation. Olden attended the White House ceremony while President John F. Kennedy praised his work as "a reminder of the extraordinary actions in the past as well as the business of the future." 


Georg Olden's features in Ebony Magazine

Georg Olden's features in Ebony Magazine

Batten, Barton, Dustine & Osborn, Inc. Office Telephone Directory

Stamp honoring the Emancipation Proclamation, 1963; below: design unveiling at White House with President John F. Kennedy
                    


Olden was significant in defining the field of design for other designers of color. Lowell Thompson, Michele Y. Washington, and Frank Briggs, all contemporary practitioners, have worked to bring his contributions to light and have each claimed him as an inspiration to their own works. Olden's influence not only resonated from a stylistic level, but also on a personal one; he aspired to present himself through his talents, speaking to his works from his identity.

 "As the first black American to achieve an executive position with a major corporation, my goal was the same as that of Jackie Robinson in baseball: to achieve maximum respect and recognition by my peers, the industry and the public, thereby hopefully expanding acceptance of, and opportunities for, future black Americans in business." - Georg Olden
Awards: 
Art Directors Club of NY, 1953 and 1956
Cannes Film Festival, Advertising prize, 1967
Seven Clio Awards, 1962-1970
AIGA Medal, 2007
Sources:
https://www.aiga.org/aiga/content/inspiration/aiga-medalist/2007-aiga-medalist-georg-olden/http://adage.com/article/cmo-strategy/georg-olden-pioneering-blacks-ad-industry/134590/https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/olden-george-1920-1975









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