Cipe Pineles was an iconic female visual designer and Art director. Born in Vienna, Austria in 1908 she would go on to change the way we communicate through publications and magazines in the US forever.(About) She did this also while advocating for women who work during a time of changing gender roles. While holding many “firsts” titles including but not limited to, the first autonomous woman art director of a mass-market American publication(About), Pineles holds her distinguished rank as a designer and artist even after her passing in 1991.(ADC)
Pineles began her journey as a renowned magazine art director after finishing her studies for fine art at Pratt Institute in 1929.(About) She had spent around a year working on paintings, primarily with food being the subject matter. However, her first job was developing models for store window displays.(Celebrating) Applying the modeling skills she learned to her application process for publication jobs, helped her stand out in the eyes of Condé Nast himself.(AIGA) Starting in 1932, Pineles spent the next 10 years working under M.F. Agha, the art director of Condé Nast publications; Vogue, Vanity Fair, and House and Garden.(RIT) Agha was known for his experimentation with photography and layout so he was a perfect mentor for Pineles. Working with Agha also opened doors for Pineles to design projects on her own. She eventually earned the title of the first female member of the Art Directors Club in 1943.(Celebrating)
Learning what she could from Agha, Pineles decided to work at Seventeen magazine as the art director instead in 1947.(RIT) It was here at Seventeen where Pineles started gaining momentum in her journey as distinguished designer. She decided to commission leading painters to do fiction illustration.(RIT) Pineles believed her readers were educated and deserved content made by quality artists and that their work would enhance the experience for the readers. At the time, the implementation of illustrators for editorial illustration had never really been utilized.(About) She had accomplished in reaching out to specific professions to enhance the meaning behind what was being communicated in the publications and by caring about her readers she set a precedent for all future publications. In her connecting these illustrators to the commercial art world she exposed readers to artists like Andy Warhol, Berarda Bryson, and Ad Reinhardt who all lived on to be famous artists.(RIT)
In 1950, just three years after working at Seventeen Magazine, Pineles shifted gears again to work at Charm Magazine.(AIGA) The idea for Charm was that it would be, “The magazine for women who work.” Charm reflected on the antiquated ways fashion magazines marketed toward women and instead encouraged women to, “see themselves involved in the wider world and in possession and control of knowledge, money, and their destinies.”(AIGA) Essentially this allowed her to address women’s interests in beauty and fashion in a world where women’s classic stay-at-home roles were changing and in need of content that reflected this commonly over-looked part of society.
As life seemed to settle-down Pineles did not. She continued her work as the Director of Publication Design at Parsons School of Design in 1970. She taught and worked on publications, especially her famous book, “The Parsons Bread Book” which was recognized for it’s exceptional design and content.(About) Pineles’ design philosophy was to take the readers education seriously by showing the best artwork and using innovative design solutions.(Celebrating)
Cipe Pineles was a pioneer for women in commercial design and a voice to the readers as someone who would had the best intentions for them. Her critical thinking in this field helped us evolve our methods of communication and expand our idea of possible design solutions. Despite working in a man’s world she overcame every obstacle that comes with being a woman and stood up for women to have equal opportunities.
Cited Sources
“About Cipe.” CIPE PINELES, www.cipepineles.com/about-cipe.
“ADC Cipe Pineles Burtin.”, adcglobal.org/hall-of-fame/cipe-pineles-burtin/.
AIGA – by Martha Scotford September 3. “Cipe Pineles.” AIGA, www.aiga.org/medalist-cipepineles.
“Celebrating Women in Design: Cipe Pineles – Opus Design.” Opus Design – Boston Web Design and Graphic Design, 3 Jan. 2020, opusdesign.us/wordcount/celebrating-women-in-design-cipe-pineles/.
“RIT Cipe Pineles.”, www.rit.edu/carycollection/cipe-pineles.
