Past president of the Art Directors Club of Los Angeles, one of 35 design pioneers named by Graphic Design USA magazine, and design educator for over 30 years, AIGA Fellow Award recipient Archie Boston is no stranger to the design field in Los Angeles. And he's the first African-American recipient of the prestigious Fellows Award. Rachel Elnar spoke to him about being a designer and design in LA.

Why did you become a graphic designer?

I became a graphic designer because I realized in art school that I would have a difficult time trying to become a fine artist. I used to love to draw and paint during my first year at Chouinard Art Institute, now Cal Arts. My older brother Brad, went to Chouinard for 2 years before I started there. He got a job at Advertising Designers, Inc. in 1961, when I started college. I wanted to be just like him, so I later decided I wanted to become a graphic designer, and an art director. With those two titles, I thought I could switch between working in an ad agency as well as a design studio. The more versatile one becomes, the better the job opportunities.

How did you get involved with AIGA? Why do you stay involved?

I initially was a member of the Los Angeles Art Directors Club starting in 1963. Don Weller invited me to design the annual awards exhibition in the Equitable Building. Then, I became a board member and serves in various offices until I was elected President in 1976. I was also elected president again in 1982. In that same year, I became a tenured Professor at California State University Long Beach. Around 1992, the AIGA/LA chapter was founded. A few years later, the Art Directors Club of Los Angeles merged into the AIGA/LA chapter. I went down with a sinking ship until another rescued me.

I stayed involved in AIGA on the Education Committee because I wanted to help students with their portfolios, internship, and interact with graphic designers that strive for design excellence. AIGA is an organization where I could network, stay current on the local gossip, and also socialize with my former students.

In your opinion, how has design shaped Los Angeles?

In the early days there were only a few designers I admired. Those designers were the ones I interviewed in my documentaries, but there were other local designers I also respected, and did not interview such as: Deborah Sussman, Rod Dyer, Michael Salisbury, George Osaki, Bill Brown, Bradford Boston, Roland Young, Hy Yablonka, John Miyauchi, Tony Heller, Wayne Hunt, Dan Lennon, John Anselmo, John Casado, Tony Hollander, Charlie White, John Clark and Mikio Osaki.

These, and the 20 designers I interviewed, help shaped design in Los Angeles. They were involved in entertainment, the aerospace industry, and the emerging automotive industry. These designers cared about getting rid of visual pollution by designing great logos, annual reports, brochures, advertising, and architectural signage. These designers also taught at Art Center College of Design, Otis Art Institute, UCLA, Chouinard Art Institute, and the state universities, passing on their knowledge of good design to the next generation.

If you weren’t practicing design, what would you be doing?

I think the answer is obvious, I would teach design. I have been doing that for over 30 years. I have been blessed because I have maintained my own design office, and was given the opportunity to become an author. However, I think I would have become a doctor, or scientist, because I have always had a thirst for knowledge, and enjoyed intellectual challenges. When I was young, I thought that those two professions were more prestigious. Deep down inside, I knew I had to followed my natural ability and passion, which was and still is design.

You’ve produced a video collection of iconic designer interviews from 1986 called, “20 Outstanding Los Angeles Designers.� How did you come upon the initial idea for interviewing designers?

In 1984, I was eligible for a sabbatical after I received tenure at California State University Long Beach. I thought about what could I do that would be meaningful to students, educators, and the future generation of designers. I concluded that no one was videotaping our talented local graphic designers and art directors who have made such an outstanding contribution to our design community.

20 Outstanding Los Angeles Designers DVD Collection

I didn’t want it to just be an interview, I wanted to show their design studios, and have them talk about their work. I wanted them to be genuine and relaxed, to talk to me as if we were having a conversation over a cup of coffee. I wanted them to talk about their education, their idols, their values, and their personal pursuits. I wanted them to give advice to students, teachers, and put their careers in a historical perspective. I wanted these interviews to be timeless and relevant for generations to come. I visualized each interview as unique, so I added classical music to accentuate the timelessness of good design.

What was your favorite memory from interviewing these amazing minds?

I enjoyed interviewing all of the designers, and each were special in their own way. My favorite had to be the interview with Saul Bass. I could not believe how candid he was about his entire career. It was amazing how he got his first job, and proceeds to establish himself as a multifaceted designer. I really was touched when he talked about how much he loved his daughter, Jennifer and his wife, Elaine. I thought he made an Oscar winning performance in that interview.

Interview with Saul Bass

Another favorite memory was when Alex, my assistant, and I edited the composite of all of the designers answering each of the questions. I remember showing it for the first time at the university, and the enthusiastic response from the audience. I did not show the individual video tapes until 21 years later, when I transferred the documentaries to the DVD format. I was not satisfied with the quality of videotape.

And if you were to do them again now, what would you do differently?

I would apply for a grant to hire a videographer, a film editor, an interviewer, a musician to compose original music, a web site designer, a distributor, a public relations firm, and a photographer to shoot my products, instead of being a one-man band because of economics.

What can young designers learn from this collection of interviews?

I think young designers can learn about determination; formulating a design philosophy; the importance of hard work; what it takes to become a good graphic designer; what a rich history we have locally; and how and why they should strive for design excellence. They can learn how history connects generations of graphic designers through the admiration and teaching of good designers who pass the value of good design from one generation to the other. Thus raising the quality of design in our environment.

Louis Danziger, telling students to work, think, and feel

The Los Angeles design industry has changed so much since then. Do you see any significant changes in the profession in the near future?

The changes in the design profession in the near future will be multi-tasking. Graphic designers must be aware and open to change. Specialization can lead to obsolescence. A graphic designer has to be flexible enough to embrace new technology, as well as new approaches to solving design problems that are environmentally friendly. What worked yesterday, may not be appropriate today. Graphic designers have to reinvent themselves to maintain their value to society. The biggest threats to graphic designers today are design templates, which are becoming more sophisticated in fulfilling the needs of a budget conscious business community.

In your interview with Ray Engle, Ray mentioned that he sailed for relaxation. What do you do for relaxation?

For relaxation, I like to read, write, take photographs, work in my yard, fix broken things, watch movies, go to church, watch sports year-round, cook soul food, play with my grandchildren, talk to interesting people, and chill out with my wife, Juanita, in my future retirement home in Lutz, Florida.

Where do you get your strength to keep moving forward in a stressful politically correct society?

I get my strength by trusting in God. I have been blessed with self-discipline, talent, and passion to set goals, and strive with determination to achieve them. My faith has brought me this far, and I believe that God will guide me through whatever the future holds for me. Before AIGA selected me as a Fellow, I had already anointed myself, The Arch-Bishop of Boston.

Ahh… and did you already have a following as Arch-Bishop?

I have one former student, Rev. Rosalind Nzinga Nichol, who said, “....after all your hard work and years of nurturing insecure young souls into becoming confident professionals with integrity–I think YES! it is time for your title to be updated. Hope you have a very blessed 4th of July–Arch-bishop.� And another, Professor Tor Hovind, who adopted me as his Dad, even before ordained myself.

The documentaries are available in DVD format. They are available for purchase on eBay. Clips of the complete collection are viewable on YouTube.