neo and San Jose State University graphic design presents:
an evening with Sam Smidt
Wednesday, March 16th, 7pm
San Jose State University
Art Building, Room 133
$3 students, $5 general
We have the blessed fortune to call Sam a mentor as well as a friend. He is one of the few people that encouraged us to blur the lines between art and design, and to work with clients that we enjoy for the relationships and the mutual creativity, not just the billable hours. With his deep resonating voice and his passion for the purebreds, he's a fascinating character we know you'll enjoy.
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Sam Smidt is a graphic designer whose work is marked by the characteristics of curiosity and play. In a career spanning more than fifty years, this curiosity has lead him to continuous exploration of two- and three-dimensional mediums--from graphic design and photography to signage and video. Finding inspiration in the everyday, Sam's work transforms the mundane into striking images full of color and artful composition.
From the principle of an agency with over 20 employees in the 1960s and 1970s to his present intimate studio, Sam has created spare, elegant, and engaging work which has had the honor of being included in the collections of the Smithsonian, the Library of Congress, and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Publications that have featured Sam's work include Graphis, Communication Arts, Modern Publicity (UK), and Design World (Australian), among many others.
Situated in downtown Palo Alto, Sam made the decision to design for only those clients whose work he is truly interested in, clients such as Healing Environments, a non-profit creating environments for those who are seriously ill. Sam has come to realize the benefits of designing for certain corporations, non-profits, museums, and cultural institutions who respect creativity. For Sam, graphic design is a game that is fun and intellectually challenging--after all, fun is what it's all about.
A Professor Emeritus at SJSU, where he taught from 1960 until his retirement in 1997, Sam has been a mentor to hundreds of students and West Coast designers.
visit www.samsmidt.com