88. Preserving graphic design history for everyone, with Louise Sandhaus

Our next guest is the acclaimed American graphic designer, author and scholar Louise Sandhaus. A professor at the California Institute of the Arts, she is also the principal of Louise Sandhaus Design, a studio she founded in 1998.

Born in Massachusetts, Louise began her career in the 1970s and has since seen new technology disrupt and change the creative industries in ways many of us can't imagine – from the birth of the Apple computer to the software tools we still use today. 

Thanks to the Internet, Louise has recently launched the permanent home for The People's Graphic Design Archive to preserve graphic design history for future generations and act as a source of inspiration for creative professionals everywhere. She's one of its four co-founders – an online platform rooted in a passion for celebrating our industry's output and learning from our previous creations.

In this episode, we talk about new technology, how it transformed her career and why it's a force for good today. We discuss the rising tide of AI and its potential impact with tools like DALL-E. And we delve into Louise's path to success, the challenges she's faced, and the rewards she's enjoyed along the way. 

We really understand why preserving graphic design is a real labour of love for Louise and why it's so important that we somewhat remove the "gatekeepers" to celebrate all kinds of work and champion the unsung creators whose voices are often not heard. As she so beautifully puts it, "everything and everyone is valued" when you have something that anyone can contribute to.