Is the future female? In graphic design, it certainly looks that way. About 63% of modern graphic designers are female1, which means there are a plethora of amazing female graphic designers breaking barriers and glass ceilings each and every day. From Paula Scher to Jessica Walsh, these famous female graphic designers are making their mark.
- Paula Scher
- Susan Kare
- Ruth Ansel
- Louise Fili
- Noreen Morioka
- Ellen Lupton
- Gail Anderson
- Jessica Walsh
- Carolyn Davidson
- Jane Davis Doggett
- Margo Chase
- Meredith Davis
- Debbie Millman
- Leta Sobierajski
- Tracy Ma
- Chiara Aliotta
- Alex Proba
- Jessica Hische
- Becca Clason
- Lotta Nieminen
Popular Female Graphic Designers in History and Today
From modern leaders like Paula Scher to historical ones like Jane Davis Doggett, these female graphic designers are sure to inspire your own journey into the world of design. Their careers highlight not only the evolution of gender equality in graphic design but also the way the industry has shifted from the analog to the digital and beyond. These American graphic designers are proving that the future is female.
Paula Scher
Pentagram partner Paula Scher is a leading graphic designer with a career that's spanned several decades now. Scher has partnered with a number of impressive clients, including Coca-Cola, Bloomberg, the Walt Disney Company, and the Museum of Modern Art. In addition to graphic design, she's an artist with work displayed in museums globally.
Susan Kare
Chances are you use Susan Kare’s designs every day. Back in the 80s, she created the original Mac interface elements and typefaces, making her a pioneer in computer interface design. Since being employee #10 at NeXT (Steve Jobs’s post-Apple company), she’s consulted for Microsoft, IBM, Sony Pictures, Facebook, and Pinterest. Kare currently works at Niantic Labs.
Ruth Ansel
After beginning her career in the 1960s, Ruth Ansel went on to be the first female art director of Harper’s Bazaar, House & Garden, Vogue, and The New York Times Magazine. Ansel is known for her artistic collaborations with Andy Warhol, Annie Leibovitz, and Bruce Weber. In 1992, she launched a design agency and has designed for a number of infamous projects including for Versace and Karl Lagerfeld.
Louise Fili
Louise Fili is a beloved food and restaurant branding professional and typographer. She owns a graphic and digital design firm called Louise Fili Ltd. Her food packaging is truly one-of-a-kind and has led her to work with brands like Tate's Cookies and Sarabeth's. Fili's creativity extends into writing, and she's published several books in English and Italian.
Noreen Morioka
Noreen Morioka is a California-based designer known for her state pride, which she incorporates into her approach to visual communications. She’s the co-founder of AdamsMorioka, a well-known graphic design agency recognized for its vibrant, playful branding. The agency closed after 22 years in business, and Morioka went on to serve at Weiden + Kennedy and Netflix before taking up her current role of Chief Creative Officer at New Computer Corporation.
Ellen Lupton
Ellen Lupton is a leading voice in design thinking. She’s the author or co-author of several books on graphic design, including Graphic Design Thinking, Health Design Thinking, Extra Bold, and Design is Storytelling. She teaches in the Maryland Institute College of Art’s graphic design MFA program and is curator emerita at Cooper Hewitt.
Gail Anderson
Gail Anderson is a partner at Anderson Newton Design and has just about done it all. Anderson worked at Rolling Stone magazine from the late 1980s to the early 2000s. Additionally, she designed at Vintage Books (Random House) and was creative director at SpotCo. Anderson has written several books, including The Typographic Universe. She is a one of the most famous Black graphic designers in the industry today.
Jessica Walsh
Known for her bold style, Jessica Walsh is the founder of &Walsh, which she created in 2019. Prior, Walsh was co-founder of an agency with Stefan Sagmeister and worked in magazines. When she was a new graduate, Walsh turned down a job at Apple to take an internship at Paula Scher's Pentagram.
Carolyn Davidson
Carolyn Davidson’s designs live on years after their original creation in 1971. What did she design? The Nike “Swoosh” logo. Davidson created the logo while still a student at Portland State University. Back then, Nike was called Blue Ribbon Sports. At the time, Davidson was paid $35 for the logo, which is about $277 in 2025. After Nike went public in the early 80s, they gave Davidson 500 shares of stock. She retired in 2000.
Jane Davis Doggett
Jane Davis Doggett was known for her design of wayfinding and graphics systems for airports. Beginning her career in the 1950s, she was a pioneer in the field of environmental graphic design as she was one of the first designers to design systems for navigating complicated spaces. Over the course of her career, she partnered with airports in Memphis, Tampa, Houston, Baltimore, Newark, Miami, and many others.
Margo Chase
Known for her experimental design style, Margo Chase was part of the industry’s transition from analog to digital. She designed branding and album art for high-profile entertainment clients, including Selena, Madonna, and Prince. Chase was inspired by an eclectic mix of sources, such as calligraphy, medieval architecture, and illuminated manuscripts. This eventually earned her the nickname “Queen of Goth.”
Meredith Davis
Meredith Davis’ career blended both research and practice. She strongly advocated for comprehensive and challenging design education. Over the course of her career, she taught at Virginia Commonwealth University and North Carolina State University. Davis has won awards for her work as a design educator, scholar, and curriculum developer.
Debbie Millman
Debbie Millman is equal parts designer and educator. She regularly shares her knowledge on the Design Matters podcast and has written several books on design. Additionally, Millman co-founded the School of Visual Arts' first graduate program in branding.
Leta Sobierajski
Leta Sobierajski is a multidisciplinary designer and artist recognized for bold, playful aesthetics. She creates across photography, design, installation, and sculpture art. Sobierajski regularly shares her knowledge at speaking engagements across the Americas, Africa, Asia, Europe, and Australia.
Tracy Ma
Since 2021, Tracy Ma has been the graphic design lead at Frank Ocean’s Homer. Previously, she served as an editorial designer at Bloomberg Businessweek and as a visual editor at The New York Times. Ma has been recognized by the Type Directors Club, the Society of Print Designers, Print magazine's 20 under 30, and more.
Chiara Aliotta
Chiara Aliotta is the owner of Until Sunday, a branding studio that specializes in typography and branding. With all of her work, Aliotta uses the three-act structure to set compelling scenes, find authentic solutions, and create a magical closing chapter. Her ultimate goal? For clients to feel the same contentment that readers feel when closing a book.
My clients tell me that my work is not only creative, but that it connects deeply on an emotional level.
Chiara Aliotta
Alex Proba
Alex Proba is the owner of Studio Proba, a Portland and Brooklyn-based agency that specializes in brand design, art direction, product design, illustration and murals. Her clients include Louis Vuitton, Design Miami, Nike, and Google. Proba is most known for colorful, geometric design and illustration work.
Jessica Hische
Jessica Hische is a lettering artist and author who is most known for her book covers and type-driven work. When she's not designing, Hische teaches classes on logotypes, pricing as a designer, and lettering. You may have seen her main title design for Lionsgate's adaptation of "Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret."
Becca Clason
Becca Clason is a stop-motion and letting artist based in Cache Valley, Utah. Clason's specialty is food lettering, which means she uses food, paper, and other objects to tell visual stories. She's partnered with some pretty big brands too, including Disney and Starbucks.
Lotta Nieminen
This NYC-based designer and art director is known for her refined, modern aesthetic. Operating as Studio Lotta Nieminen, she has won numerous awards for her work and specializes in branding, art direction, and graphic design. She's worked with Google, Rent the Runway, and Vanity Fair. Catch her at a talk or workshop in the future.
There are so many amazing female graphic designers helping shape the industry as we know it and into what it will become in the future. Want to join them? Take a graphic design course and get started today.
Paula Scher broke barriers when she became a partner at Pentagram in 1991, a time when graphic design was still a male-dominated field.
References
- CareerExplorer. “Graphic Designer Demographics,” CareerExplorer. https://www.careerexplorer.com/careers/graphic-designer/demographics/?utm_source=chatgpt.com.
Enjoyed this article? Leave a rating!
Loading...
