When designing for theater, says Gail Anderson, you never know if the play will be hit and your work will be seen for a long time, or if the show will get panned and close after a week. Using SpotCo’s work on 9 to 5 as an example, she illustrates how campaigns must work as well in print and on the sides of buses as on billboards and marquees. She also shares why “being lovely” makes her a good collaborator.
Gail Anderson is a creative director at SpotCo, a New York City-based design studio and ad agency that specializes in creating artwork and campaigns for Broadway theater. From 1987 to early 2002, she served as senior art director at Rolling Stone magazine. Anderson’s work—which has received awards from the Society of Publication Designers, the Type Directors Club, AIGA, the Art Directors Club, Graphis, Communication Arts and Print—is in the permanent collections of the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum and the Library of Congress. She has co-authored, with Steven Heller, several books including Graphic Wit, The Savage Mirror and American Typeplay. Anderson teaches in the MFA Design program at the School of Visual Arts and has lectured at colleges and design organizations throughout the country. She also serves on the advisory board for the Adobe Design Achievement Awards and is a recipient of the 2008 AIGA Medal.
