Ed Fella

At the age of 73, iconic artist and educator Ed Fella can break his work down into two groupings. One is 50 years of graphic design, which represents his journey towards becoming a typography trailblazer. Though he’s abandoned traditional client work, he still continues to push the envelope of lettering and design with personal design projects for various non-profit projects. Ed’s second body of work are his paintings, where he has sought to make “drawings for paintings” that look like they’ve come from the abstract expression era, the time in which he would have been a thriving artist. Whether you peak at Ed’s early design work or later-in-life artwork, it’s clear that he is maverick creative mind. He was recognized as such by receiving the AIGA Medal in 2007, a testament to Ed’s tremendous contribution to the field of graphic design. And his work is in the National Design Museum and MoMA in New York. Get inspired by this legendary artist in his 10 ANSWERS below.

1. How would you describe your work in three words? 
Exit-level Graphic Design for the one and Counter-factual History Art for the other.

2. Who is your creative role model?
At this time in my life (73) it’s my own past “commercial artist” self, from the first 30 years of my professional career…and my alternative “self”, if I would have been a “fine” artist, instead of a graphic designer…

3. If you had an extra hour each day what would you do with it?
Fill out questionnaires like this one so that I could come to better understand where I’ve been and what I’ve done, and what if anything, it might actually mean.

4. What place in the world most inspires you and why?
The American “vernacular” in the American “spaces” because that is where I found my way past the contemporary graphic design heritage that both my professional and personal(experimental) work came from, from the late 50′s to the early 80′s….

5. If you could do a different job for a day what would it be and why?
A flying saucer pilot so I could take a quick tour of the Universe.

6. What is your favorite homemade gift to give?
Holiday “cards”.

7. What is your favorite object in your home?
The door for it’s comfort in going in and for it’s liberation on going out.

8. What is the best advice you’ve ever received?
Back in Detroit where my father was an auto worker…two UAW union slogans: “Take it easy, but take it” and “30 and out”

9. What websites do you use for inspiration?
I wish I could say yes to this question and give a list, but unfortunately, and to my detriment I’m sure, I still rely on only printed matter, and mostly old stuff, at that!

10. When do you consider a piece of your work complete?
When I finally really like it…or as the artist, Barnett Newman said, many years ago, “I paint, so I have something to look at”.