The New York Times Magazine Cover

Jennifer Morla

“The Shock of the Familiar” examines how design is inherent in all objects, yet is often invisible to the intended audience. The New York Times Magazine chose Morla’s cover solution from seven other selected submissions. By conceptually objectifying the magazine itself and placing the masthead upside down, the reader is compelled to understand that the magazine itself is a designed object. This piece is in the permanent collection of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

Images of The New York Times Magazine Cover

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    Jennifer Morla, USA (1998)

    Jennifer Morla founded Morla Design in 1984 as a multi-disciplinary design firm encompassing print, interactive, and environmental design. With over 300 awards of excellence, she has been recognized by virtually...

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    “The Shock of the Familiar” examines how design is inherent in all objects, yet is often invisible to the intended audience. The New York Times Magazine chose Morla’s cover solution from seven other selected submissions. By conceptually objectifying the magazine itself and placing the masthead upside down, the reader is compelled to understand that the magazine itself is a designed object. This piece is in the permanent collection of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

    Jennifer Morla, USA (1998)

    Jennifer Morla founded Morla Design in 1984 as a multi-disciplinary design firm encompassing print, interactive, and environmental design. With over 300 awards of excellence, she has been recognized by virtually every organization in the field of visual communication. She is the recipient of design’s most honored awards, The Cooper Hewitt / Smithsonian National Design Award and the AIGA Medal. Her work and been published extensively, most notably in Meggs’ History of Graphic Design.

    Morla’s work is a part of the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (over 50 pieces), Los Angeles Country Art Museum (LACMA), The Denver Art Museum, The Library of Congress and The Smithsonian Museum. Morla has had solo exhibitions at SFMoMA and DDD Gallery in Japan. Her work has is featured in Megg's History of Graphic Design. In addition to teaching thesis graphic design at California College of the Arts, she lectures and judges internationally. She was elected as a member of AGI in 1998.

    Publications

    plus

    Morla:Design

    (2019)

    • Jennifer Morla

    Letterform Archive

    Morla:Design is a dynamic monograph spanning Jennifer Morla’s 40-year career. Recipient of the Cooper Hewitt National Design Award and an AIGA Medalist, the book illustrates her creative process and design philosophy, and shares the inspiration behind more than 150 projects. With an introduction by Paula Scher and prologue by Erik Spiekermann, Morla:Design vividly demonstrates why design matters.

    Exhibitions

    plus

    Architecture + Design

    SFMOMA, San Francisco

    Architecture and Design

    Museum of Modern Art, New York

    Posters: American Style

    Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C

    Architecture and Design

    Denver Art Museum, Denver

    Library of Congress, Washington, D.C

    Jennifer Morla

    SFMOMA, San Francisco

    Solo Exhibition

    Jennifer Morla

    DDD Design Gallery, Osaka

    Solo Exhibition

    Jennifer Morla, California College of the Arts

    Solo Exhibition

    Art of Design: Selections From The Architecture and Design Collection

    2004

    SFMOMA, San Francisco

    US Design: 1975-2000

    2003

    Museum of Art and Design, New York

    San Francisco Graphic Design

    2009

    Museum of Craft + Design, San Francisco

    Belles Lettres: The Art of Design

    SFMOMA, San Francisco

    Exhibitions" 1996-2006

    1994

    DDD Gallery, Tokyo

    Posters American Style

    1998

    National Museum of American Art: Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C

    California College of the Arts at 100: Innovation by Design

    2007

    SFMOMA, San Francisco

    US Design: 1975-2000

    2002

    Denver Art Museum, Denver

    Education

    plus

    Adjunct Professor, Graphic Design

    • Undergraduate,  
    • Postgraduate

    1992 – today

    • California College of the Arts (USA)

    Lectures

    plus

    Student Conference

    (2008)

    • Alliance Graphique Internationale, Chicago, IL | USA

    Invited Speaker

    (2006)

    • Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum, New York, NY | USA

    Student Conference

    (2005)

    • AIGA National Conference, Boston, MA | USA

    Keynote Speaker

    (2004)

    • Adobe Design Conference, San Francisco, CA | USA

    Keynote Speaker

    (2003)

    • El Diseño International Conference, Mexico City, Mexico

    Invited Speaker

    (2001)

    • Oslo Grafill International Conference, Oslo, Norway

    Invited Speaker

    (1996)

    • AGI Ideas International Design Forum, Melbourne, Australia

    Invited Speaker

    (1995)

    • How Conference, Monterey, CA | USA

    Invited Speaker

    (1995)

    • Envision Design Conference, Sacramento, CA | USA

    Agencies

    plus

    Awards

    plus
    • 2017

    Cooper Hewitt National Design Award
    • 2010

    AIGA Medalist
    • 2020, 2019...1989

    Graphis Awards
    • 2021, 2009...1989

    Communication Arts Award of Excellence
    • 2008, 2007...1984

    AIGA Communication Graphics Award
    • 2008

    AIGA Corporate Design Leadership Award/Design Within Reach
    • 1995, 1994, 1993

    The 100 Show, American Center for Design

    Other Professional Activities

    plus
    • Cooper Hewitt National Design Awards, Judge, New York USA

      2011 – 2011

    • Webby Awards, International Web Design Awards Judge

      2002 – Present

    • Cleo Awards, Design Chair, USA

      2012 – 2012

    • Spikes Asia Design Awards, Judge, Singapore

      2010 – 2010

    • Best Graphic Designers In The World Today, Design 365

      2010 – 2010

    • Cannes Lions Intl. Design and Advertising Festival, Judge, Cannes, France

      2009 – 2009

    • AIGA National Board of Directors

      1999 – 2001

    • SFMOMA Accessions Committee: Architecture and Design Forum

      1999 – Present

    • AIGA San Francisco, President, Board of Directors

      1991 – 1993

    • Board of Directors, Letterform Archive

      2019 – Present