Abbott Miller

Official Bio

Abbott Miller was born in Indiana and studied design at the Cooper Union School of Art in New York. In 1989 he founded the multidisciplinary studio Design/Writing/Research where, in collaboration with Ellen Lupton, he pioneered the concept of “designer as author” undertaking projects in which content and form are developed in a symbiotic relationship. He joined Pentagram’s New York office as a partner in June 1999.

Abbott’s projects are often concerned with the cultural role of design and the public life of the written word. At Pentagram he leads a team designing books, magazines, catalogs, identities, exhibitions, and creating editorial projects.

Abbott has received numerous design honors, including medals from the Society for Publication Designers and three nominations for National Magazine Awards. In 1994 Abbott—together with Ellen Lupton—was awarded the first annual Chrysler Award for Innovation in Design. He is a Vice President of the American Center for Design, a member of the Society of Environmental Graphic Designers (SEGD), and a member of the Alliance Graphique Internationale (AGI). Since 1997 Abbott has been co-chair, with Ellen Lupton, of the Graphic Design Department of the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore. He is a contributing editor of eye magazine and the co-author of four books.

Pentagram

Eye Magazine Article: What does it really mean to call for a graphic designer to be an author? by Michael Rock

The Bathroom the Kitchen and the Aesthetics of Waste: A Process of Elimination
Dimensional Typography: Words in Space
Inside Cars
Twice
Dance Ink: Photographs
Signs and Spaces
Design Writing Research: Writing on Graphic Design
The ABC's of Bauhaus, The Bauhaus and Design Theory