about

David Carson is a visionary graphic designer, known particularly for his use of experimental typography. He was born in Texas in 1954, but did not begin to study graphic design until 1980. From there he began to experiment with typography, and by 1984 he was the art director of Transworld Skateboarding magazine.

In 1992, Carson was hired as art director for an alternative rock magazine called Ray Gun, through which he pushed the boundaries of graphic design and elevated typography to the level of fine art. He established a typographic style that is abstract and chaotic, and often only partially legible. This new approach to design inspired a movement of “grunge typography” that demanded to be recognized, whether it was with reverence or disdain. “Don’t mistake legibility for communication,“ David Carson’s famous warning, seems to sum up his philosophy toward design. In his designs, the distinctness and legibility of the content is subordinated to the visual communication of an idea.

His work legitimized the use of typography as an expressive medium for a generation of graphic designers. For this reason, Carson is often cited among the most influential graphic designers of his time.