Ricard Giralt Miracle (1911-1994) is considered Spain's first modern designer. He was a graphic artist, typographer and printer who began producing posters, leaflets, book covers and collector's editions in Barcelona in the 1930s. In 1947 he founded his own press, Filograf, and with his masterful combination of tradition and experimentation, he designed posters, logos, greeting cards, booklets, and fonts (most notably Gaudi). Some of his most innovative and meaningful work was produced as plaquettes, or small bibliophile's notebooks which he experimented with for over thirty years. Always central to his craft was the image and the letter. I think the handmade quality of his lettering and so much of his design work looks just as modern and sophisticated today as it did when he created it years ago.
Above artwork:
1. Book jacket on the history of the photograph, PEN publishers, 1954
2. Filograf poster, collage assembly, 1955
3. Handlettered J
4. Book jacket design for stamp collecting book, PEN publishers, 1953
5. Cover of the plaquette, Moises, 1959
Near as I can tell from the translation at sd-mudito edicions, Miracle produced the plaquette below entitled Guillermo Diaz-Plaja, Zoo, as a promotion to send to clients in 1966.
although I know him ,because he lived in Barcelona, I had not seen these works so fantastic.Do you know the work of other master of cover design in the 70´s:
ReplyDeleteDaniel Gil
I know some of the American bookcover designers, such as Seymour Chwast, Milton Glaser and many others from the Pushpin group who were notable, and designers at Penguin Books in Britain were doing some amazing work in the 70s. Ben Shaun was another good American designer at the time too. Did you personally know Miracle personally? I would love to know more about him.
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