APRIL GREIMAN

April Greiman was born on March 22, 1948, in New York City. After attending the Kansas City Art Institute, Greiman worked as a freelance designer and did projects directly with the curator of design at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. In 1976, Greiman moved to Los Angeles where she established the multi-disciplinary approach where she "...blends technology, science, word and image with color and space..." She directed her first design studio April Greiman, Inc. from 1978–2004 and began her current Los Angeles-based design consultancy Made In Space in 2005.

Prior to the digital revolution in 1984 with the introduction of the Apple Macintosh computer, graphic design had been a manual, hand-done process. During the 1970s and 80s, many modernist and contemporary designers were afraid of technological advancements in design and the development of computer technology. However, Greiman was not afraid and saw this development as an opportunity. By adapting to involve advanced technology in her design process, her work soon encompassed “a unique and multidisciplinary aesthetics.” She rejected the belief among many contemporary designers that computers and digitalization would compromise the International Typographic Style; instead, Greiman "exploited pixelation and other digitization "errors" as integral parts of digital art, a position she has held throughout her career" (AIGA).

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In 1982, Greiman became head of the design department at the California Institute of the Arts. After moving to LA, she met photographer-artist Jayme Odgers. Together, they designed a well-known Cal Arts poster in 1977 that became an icon of the California New Wave. In 1984, she worked to change the department name from "Graphic Design" to "Visual Communications," because she felt that the term “graphic design” would be too limiting to future designers. In that year, she also became a student herself and investigated in greater depth the effects of technology on her own work.

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Greiman strongly advocated for the integration of Macintosh into graphic design. Additionally, she pushed for more recognition and influence of woman designers. Thanks in part to Greiman, the push for women in design continues to this day and has contributed greatly to the structure of the current gender landscape of the field of graphic design.