We live in a world where women are just as important as men, especially when it comes to earning a living and rightly so. This includes graphic design, where we have seen tons of women in tech shape the future of digital design and inspire generations to come. However, if you have ever tried to do digital design before, you’ll know that it isn’t easy. That being said, these five women have certainly made it look easy, paving the way for digital design.

These women have really tested the boundaries with typography and completely revolutionised branding. So, let’s delve into the work of these fantastic digital designers that you should certainly look up to for your digital design career.

Paula Scher

Up first is the iconic Paula Schar, the leading figure in contemporary design and a partner at Pentagram, a company that has worked with multiple billion-pound businesses from all over the world. Paula’s work is the perfect mix of early modernist design with postmodern sensibilities. If you keep up with your digital designers, you’ll be aware that she’s responsible for the typography at The Public Theatre. On top of this, she created the Citibank logo, which is believed to have been created in seconds. She’s also had an input for Microsoft and the Museum of Modern Art.

Carolyn Davidson

Up next is Carolyn Davidsion, responsible for creating a brand’s logo that probably everybody has seen, which is the Nike swoosh tick. The logo itself was inspired by the wing of the Greek goddess Nike, and due to her being a student at the time, she was only paid $35 for the logo. Thankfully, the owners of Nike were grateful for her creation, and she was given company stock along with recognition from the company.

Jane Davis Doggett

Jane is the pioneer of environmental graphic design. She was responsible for the groundbreaking colour-coded navigation system at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. This was designed to help passengers find their way through the very complex terminals. This particular approach completely transformed airports around the world as well as public environments. Her design was way ahead of UX design before it became recognisable in the modern world. There is no doubt that Jane has had a massive impact on designers who work in transportation, healthcare and urban systems due to her focusing on clarity, accessibility and human-centred thinking.

Jessica Walsh

Jessica Walsh is a contemporary designer and well recognised for her very bold, colourful, and experimental approach to visually interpreted designs. Her career really began when she partnered with Sameister & Walsh. Walsh founded her own digital company in 2019, which was named &Walsh. Her designs generally explore emotion, identity, and social issues whilst combining both typography and photography. Amongst her work, she has also worked on major projects such as the branding for both Adobe and Levi’s. She is part of the new generation of graphic designers and is still making a great name for herself.

Susan Kare

Susan Kare was certainly ahead of her time, but still manages to influence the generations of today. She is best known for her work on the original Apple Macintosh, where she completed a very simple set of pixel-based icons that made computers easier to use for the everyday user. Those designs included the smiling Mac, the command symbol, the trash can, which all became very common amongst all computer devices used today. Her work made computers far simpler today and certainly more user-friendly.

Susan Kare has made a name for herself in the digital world, working alongside companies like Microsoft and Facebook. There is no doubt that Susan’s impact with both iconography and visual language has heavily influenced the technology we use today, not to mention the tech we will use in years to come.

Summary

There is no doubt that these graphic designers have made a great name for themselves in the graphic design world. They are the people that many people look up to, as they have paved the way for design. Companies like BGN, Designwerk and Pentagram are inspired by the fantastic creations from these graphic designers. There is no denying that the impact of women in digital design has broken barriers and done the unimaginable. Their impact has transformed the work for not only branding agencies but also web developers in Manchester. Something that many people would love to have such an impact.

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Amy Jones is a freelance health and wellness writer from Manchester UK. She loves researching and writing about health topics, as well as keeping up to date with the latest health news, and eco-friendly brands. Her passion for health and wellness stems from her innate desire to educate people on how to properly take care of their bodies, spot any early signs of illness and take the best preventative methods. When not writing, you can find her taking long walks in the countryside with her dog, listening to groundbreaking podcasts or browsing her nearest bookstore.

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