A Meaningful Career: The Legacy of Peter Megert
Hear from David Vanden-Eynden, FSEGD, about his experience visiting the “Peter Megert (1937–2022) Memorial Exhibition,” on view now at The Ohio State University. For more details, see OSU’s website.
If you’re fortunate enough to visit the Peter Megert Exhibition in the Hopkins Hall gallery on the campus of The Ohio State University (OSU) this autumn, you may think that its purpose is simply to showcase highlights from the amazing career of an unsung master of Swiss design. It is that, but also so much more. The exhibition is presented as a sequentially organized celebration of Megert’s accumulated achievements using Swiss design principles applied to a wide variety of projects including print graphics, product and transportation graphics, and signage systems. It even pays homage to his ever-present life partner, the ceramicist Ursula Megert. Perhaps more important than the work is Megert’s legacy as an innovative design educator and influential mentor. Additionally, the exhibit includes a video component featuring interviews with colleagues and former students as well as a short film titled Order & Chaos produced by a former grad student.
The exhibition is not just a retrospective of Megert’s work. In many ways it’s a recipe for career success, especially when success is defined by a meaningful legacy rather than mere financial achievement. While the excellence of the design work is obvious, a more nuanced reading of Peter Megert’s story offers valuable lessons for anyone interested in developing an impactful career. A career built on both professional achievement and a lifetime of personal growth, perpetual learning, and deep humility.
Peter Megert’s career spanned a period of graphic design during which typographically-sophisticated posters were produced by hand to the emergence of design as a computer-driven practice requiring designers to adopt computers and master numerous design software programs. While adapting to the computer-driven shift in design practice, Megert never lost sight of his belief that design’s primary role is to serve the people and contribute to the betterment of society through creative problem-solving. The new tools and technologies, together with the opportunities and design challenges they presented, fueled Peter’s creativity and serves as a model for 2D and 3D designers of all stripes, especially SEGD members.
It’s important to remember, too, that the works on display are not manufactured artifacts but the products of human ingenuity, created by a designer whose humanity and humility were well-known to colleagues and former students, many of whom became life-long friends of Peter and Ursula.
Chris Calori & I had the good fortune to have Peter as an instructor and mentor while attending OSU in the early 70s. Chris also taught with Peter during her graduate studies at OSU in the late 70s. We went on to become professional colleagues sharing mutual respect. We were good friends as well, visiting with the Megerts regularly and sharing many meals in their kitchen, often accompanied by lengthy conversations about design, life, and the world in general. And we laughed at Peter’s corny jokes and rolled our eyes at his dry sense of humor! His influence on us was deep and profound and we miss him dearly.
The Peter Megert Exhibition is open through December 13, 2024.
Hopkins Hall Gallery
The Ohio State University
Columbus, Ohio
For more details, see https://uas.osu.edu/events/peter-megert-1937-2022-memorial-exhibition.