Graphic designer Malcolm Grear’s work is familiar to many Americans, even if his name is not. As the principal at Malcolm Grear Designers from 1960 until his death earlier this year, he was responsible for numerous high profile projects, including the official seals for the United States Department of Health and Human Services and the Veterans Administration, as well as the graphic identity for the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games in Atlanta, including the “Quilt of Leaves,” the hand-held relay torch, and the gold, silver and bronze medals. Grear was Professor Emeritus at the Rhode Island School of Design, where he taught in the Graphic Design department from 1960-98, including four years as its chairman (1965-69). Mr. Grear’s work was featured in the exhibition “Graphic Content” at the Contemporary Arts Center, Cincinnati and has been displayed at institutions such as the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Cooper-Hewitt Museum and the Institute of Contemporary Arts, Boston. The traveling exhibition Malcolm Grear: The Art of Design has appeared in major museums and galleries around the US and Canada. Throughout his long and distinguished career, Grear received countless awards and honors, including the Rhode Island Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts (1969); the Citation for Distinguished Service in the Visual Arts from the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (1997); the Claiborne Pell Award for Excellence in the Arts (1998); and five honorary doctorates.
