Malcolm Grear, USA

AGI member since 1998

Back to members

Malcolm Grear has played a vital role as designer and educator in the field of visual communication design for forty-six years. After graduating from the Art Academy of Cincinnati he taught in the Rhode Island School of Design’s graphic design department from 1960–98. Malcolm’s book Inside/Outside: From the Basics to the Practice of Design, published in 1994, was recognized as one of the 50 best-designed books of the year. The philosophy of the book is that form and structure are the pivotal underpinnings of effective design, rather than the standard reductive design approach found in most modern design education. Over the years Malcolm has been awarded five honorary doctorates and was selected by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design, comprising 190 institutions, to receive the Citation for Distinguished Service in the Visual Arts. In 2005 Malcolm’s name was placed in the sidewalk of Lexington, Kentucky where he was honoured as a ‘Kentucky Star’.

Design work by Malcolm Grear


    Malcolm Grear, USA (1998)

    A brilliantly gifted graphic designer and loving teacher, Malcolm Grear was a member of the graphic design faculty at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) for 38 years beginning...

    Read full biography
    Malcolm Grear, USA (1998)

    Malcolm Grear has played a vital role as designer and educator in the field of visual communication design for forty-six years. After graduating from the Art Academy of Cincinnati he taught in the Rhode Island School of Design’s graphic design department from 1960–98. Malcolm’s book Inside/Outside: From the Basics to the Practice of Design, published in 1994, was recognized as one of the 50 best-designed books of the year. The philosophy of the book is that form and structure are the pivotal underpinnings of effective design, rather than the standard reductive design approach found in most modern design education. Over the years Malcolm has been awarded five honorary doctorates and was selected by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design, comprising 190 institutions, to receive the Citation for Distinguished Service in the Visual Arts. In 2005 Malcolm’s name was placed in the sidewalk of Lexington, Kentucky where he was honoured as a ‘Kentucky Star’.