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Episode
86

An Interview with Steff Geissbühler, Designer of the NBC Logo

An interview with
Steff Geissbühler

Introduction

Steff Geissbühler was Partner and Principal at Chermayeff & Geismar for 30 years where he designed some of the worlds most memorable logos and identities.

In this interview we go back through significant times in the designers life, including how he became a professor early in his career, how he was hired by Ivan Chermayeff and Tom Geismar, and how he eventually went on to develop C&G Partners before founding his own design practice, Geissbühler:Design.

At C&G, Steff designed iconic logos including NBC and Time Warner Cable. We discover the process that went into designing the logos, and unravel what happened behind the scenes at one of the world most famous design agencies.

Steff Geissbühler Interview Transcription

Ian Paget: I've been reading through loads of interviews with you and I actually found out that really early on in your career, and this would've been after you did your studies and after you had your first job, which was in a pharmaceutical company, really early on in your career, and if I worked out right you would've been in your late 20s, you actually taught as an Associate Professor at Philadelphia College of Art. How did you manage to get such a huge opportunity when you were so young?

Steff Geissbuhler: Oh. First of all, I was 25, so it was-

Ian Paget: Yeah. Very young.

Steff Geissbuhler: That's pretty young, yes. It is certainly young for teaching. In fact, Paul Rand once said in the early days, "You have no business teaching at your age."

Ian Paget: He actually said that to you?

Steff Geissbuhler: Yes.