Paula Scher is a giant of contemporary graphic design. Her place in the pantheon of modern greats is secure. But she is not in the pantheon of greatness because she is one of the few high profile female designers of the current era; nor she is there because she is a partner in the eternally respected Pentagram. Rather, she is there because she is a bona fide graphic genius who works in the mainstream of public life and yet still manages to produce work of rare distinction and enduring merit. A Pentagram partner since 1991, Scher’s landmark identity for The Public Theater ‘fused high and low into a wholly new symbology for cultural institutions, and her recent architectural collaborations have re-imagined the urban landscape as a dynamic environment of dimensional graphic design’. Paula Scher is a ‘social’ designer in the best sense of the word – her work is literally on the streets and in the buildings where people live, work and study. Scher is an electrifying conference speaker. Her sense of humour, and her gutsy aura of realism makes for an inspirational mix. (Photo: Christian Witkin)