SPD celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month

Design: Oscar Saylor oscarsaylor.com / @el_guapo_ny

This Hispanic Heritage Month, the Society of Publication Designers, its Board, and designer Oscar Saylor celebrate the history behind the observance—and the many stories that continue to shape it.

1968 — The U.S. Congress establishes National Hispanic Heritage Week.
1988 — The observance expands from a week to a month, becoming National Hispanic Heritage Month.

The layout is built on a modular grid inspired by the stepped geometric forms of Latin American pyramids.

 

Image credits, left to right, top to bottom:

Chance Operations — Visual identity and wordmark for filmmaker Gary Hustwit’s publishing imprint.

WE ❤️ NYC (Speculative Concept) — A conceptual visual identity and typographic reinterpretation of the civic campaign.

Aseo Romano — Custom display typeface study exploring classical Roman proportions through a contemporary geometric grid.

36 Days of Type — Experimental letterform explorations and modular poster system.

Feelings — Custom typographic lockup and graphic identity for limited-edition apparel and printed goods.

Harper's, Timo Lenzen, September 2026

Illustrator: Timo Lenzen timolenzen.com / @timolenzen

AD: Sheila Wolfe

"The Lost Dream of Lab-Grown Meat”

FT Weekend, Hannah Robinson, August 2026

Illustrator: Hannah Robinson www.hannahrobinson.work / @robinsondraws

AD: Joanna Cochrane

The FT talks to its writers about the "summer that changed them", from romance abroad, working in the kitchen at Legoland, a near death experience on the train to solo backpacking around the Mediterranean.

  • Spot 1 (man in bus): Jay Rayner goes solo backpacking across the Mediterranean and realises he likes his own company.

  • Spot 2: Horatio Harris remembers writing to her favourite QPR football player as a girl and actually getting a reply!

  • Spot 3: Jemima Kelly recounts wanting to become a pop star aged 16, practicing made-up songs with her friends at the local seaside.

 

SPD celebrates PRIDE Month!

Illustration & animation: Inma Hortas
www.inloho.com / @inlohographics

SPD and its Board celebrate Pride Month by highlighting the power of visual storytelling to honor LGBTQIA+ voices, identities, and experiences through culture, creativity, and community.

 

SPD Pride 2026 / Hair Pride / Pride Calendar Page (Southern Poverty Law Center, AD: AJ Favors) / Pride Sticker Collection (Playbook, AD: Andrea Juwono) / Queer Poly Love (Los Angeles Times, AD: Faith Stafford) / Trans Teddy (Los Angeles Times, AD: Jan Molen)

SPD celebrates AAPI Heritage Month!

Illustrator: Jia Liu
jia-liu-illustration.squarespace.com / @jia_liu_illustration

SPD organization and board celebrate and honor Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month (AAPI) through culture, creativity, and community.

 

Seek (Personal Work) / Wonder (Personal Work) / Holiday Card (Infinite Legacy, AD: Emma Sampson) / Grow Through Reading (Personal Work).

SPD celebrates Earth Month!

Illustrator: Lyne Lucien

lynelucien.com / @lalucien


SPD organization and board: Celebrating and honoring Earth Month through creativity, nature, and community, embracing the impact of small actions.

 

Erykah Badu (Sister’s Newsletter, AD: Dian Holton) / Cuba Culture (Print Nobles Magazine, AD: Kelly McMurray) / Sunday in Haiti (personal) / Sigmas (NPR, AD: Moury Khan) / Ayo Balogun (New York Magazine, AD: Stevie Remsberg).

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.

 

SPD celebrates Black History Month!

Illustrator: Alyah Holmes

alyahholmes.com / @artbyalyah


SPD organization and board: Celebrating and honoring Black history, culture and creatives!

 

Black History Month 1 & 2 / Martin Luther King Jr. / Kamala Harris. Art by Alyah Holmes.

Datev, Ari Liloan, January 2026

Illustrator: Ari Liloan

www.madebyari.com / @madeby_ari


Amid digitalization, artificial intelligence, and information overload, organizations require structured strategies to translate technology and data into effective decision-making.

Client: Datev. Art Direction: Anna Bianchi, Thomas Schrimpf.

Client: Personal Magazin. Art Direction: David Dörrast.

Client: Handelsblatt. Art Direction: Alex Grünig.

Happy New Year from SPD!

Illustration: Inma Hortas - inloho.com / @inlohographics

Illustration by Inma Hortas (inloho.com) to celebrate the New Year 2026 for the SPD. The SPD logo is in the center, surrounded by creative characters that make up the SPD community.

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2026!
The global creative community of SPD wishes you a wonderful year ahead.

We are Creative Directors, Photo Directors, Visual Directors, Art Directors, Photo Editors, Graphic Editors, Designers, Illustrators, Animators, Photographers, Typographers, Social Media Designers, Video Directors, Videographers, Concept Artists, Motion Designers, UX Designers, Web Developers, Producers, Design Managers, Visual Strategists, Consultants…

Art Direction: Dian Holton

Happy Halloween from SPD!

This year we’re celebrating with the work of Illustrator and Designer, Chris Koehler!

Chris Koehler, Halloween, Art Direction by Chris Koehler

Chris Koehler, Halloween, Hero Complex Gallery, Art Direction by Adam Smasher and Tim Caballero

Chris Koehler, Halloween, Art Direction by Chris Koehler

Chris Koehler, Halloween, Hero Complex Gallery, Art Direction by Adam Smasher and Tim Caballero