George Lois
WHO IS GEORGE LOIS?
George Lois is a creative and prolific advertising communicator. In his twenties he was a pioneer of the landmark Creative Revolution in American Advertising. He introduced and popularized the Xerox culture; created the concept and prototype design for the New York supplement for the Herald Tribune; made a failing MTV a huge success with his “I Want My MTV” campaign; helped create and introduce VH1; created a new marketing category, Gourmet Frozen Foods, with his name Lean Cuisine; and persuaded America to change their motor oil at thousands of Jiffy Lube stations. He made the totally unknown Tommy Hilfiger immediately famous with just one ad; and saved USA Today from extinction with his breakthrough “singing” TV campaign.
In 1994, almost overnight, he changed the perception of ESPN from a “Demolition Derby” sports channel to the number one sports network with his dynamic “In Your Face” campaign. Additionally he created the winning ad campaigns for four U.S. Senators: Jacob Javits (R-NY); Warren Magnuson (D-WA); Minority Leader Hugh Scott (R-PA); Robert Kennedy (D-NY). His list of breakthrough ad campaigns goes on and on. The only music video he created, Jokerman by Bob Dylan, won the MTV Best Music Video of the Year Award in 1983. And in 2008, the Museum of Modern Art installed 38 of his iconic Esquire covers in its permanent collection, celebrated by a year-long exhibit: George Lois: The Esquire Covers @ MoMA.
AWARDS:
The Art Directors Hall of Fame
The One Club Creative Hall of Fame
Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Institute of Graphic Arts
CLIO
Society of Publication Designers
Subject of the Master Series at the School of Visual Arts
BOOKS:
George, be careful (Saturday Review Press, 1972)
The Art of Advertising (Abrams, 1976)
What’s the Big Idea? (Doubleday, 1991)
Covering the ’60s (The Monacelli Press, 1996)
$ellebrity (Phaidon, 2003)
Ali Rap, The First Heavyweight Champion of Rap (Taschen/ESPN, 2006)
Iconic America (Rizzoli/Universe, 2007)
Damn Good Advice (for people with talent)(Phaidon, 2012)
George Lois on his Creation of The Big Idea (Assouline, 2008),
Lois Logos, The Creative Punch of Big Idea Branding (BIS Publications, 2015