SPD celebrates Women History Month!
/SPD organization and board: Celebrating and honoring women’s history, culture, and creatives, including non-binary voices.
Illustrator: Sam Singh / samsinghillustration.com / @samsingh_art
01. ANNI ALBERS
1899-1994, Germany. Visual systems, design theory, material-based design.
Known for: Bauhaus teaching; On Weaving.
She redefined visual structure, pattern, and abstraction in design education.
02 CARRIE MAE WEEMS
Born 1953, United States. Photography, conceptual visual art.
Best-known work: The Kitchen Table Series (1990).
Notable awards: MacArthur Fellowship (2013), National Medal of Arts (2022).
First Black woman with a solo retrospective at the Guggenheim Museum (2014).
03. TOVE JANSSON
1914-2001, Finland. Illustration, graphic storytelling.
Known for: The Moomins.
Global influence on illustration, publishing, and visual culture.
04. MURIEL COOPER
1925-1994, United States. Graphic design, typography, digital design.
Known for: Modernizing MIT Press design; pioneering interactive information systems.
Foundational figure in digital visual communication and design research.
05. RIEKO KODAMA
1963-2022, Japan. Digital visual communication, game design.
Known for: Phantasy Star, Skies of Arcadia.
Pioneer of visual storytelling in interactive media.
06. CHIHIRO IWASAKI
1918-1974, Japan. Illustration, visual education.
Known for: Children’s book illustration in watercolor.
Foundational figure in modern Japanese illustration.
07. FOLAYEMI FO WILSON
United States. Editorial design, art direction.
Known for: Visual leadership at Essence.
Structural change in Black editorial representation.
08. ZANELE MUHOLI
Born 1972, South Africa. Documentary photography, visual activism.
Known for: Ongoing portrait series and community archives.
Focus: Identity, representation, visibility, social justice.
09. CORITA KENT
1918-1986, United States. Graphic art, visual communication, education.
Known for: Bold typographic screen prints with social and political messages.
Focus: Social justice, peace, spirituality, mass communication
10. GERDA TARO
1910-1937, Germany. Editorial and documentary photography.
Known for: War photography
One of the first women photojournalists killed while covering war.
