About the Collection
Ralph Caplan (1925–2020) was a design critic and design consultant. He began his career in 1957 as a writer for I.D. magazine (then called “Industrial Design”), becoming editor in 1959, a position he held until 1963. Caplan continued to write design criticism for I.D. and several other periodicals. He taught design criticism at the School of Visual Arts from 2009 to 2013. The bulk of the collection comprises notes and drafts (and some research materials) for articles, talks, and speeches (plus related correspondence and printed material). Also included are published work in several periodicals and in printed material for various clients.
Sample images Current page
Collection guide
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Hillier Group, The. "Ten Ways of Looking at a Building" (text by Caplan, art by Seymour Chwast), undated
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Cover of IDCA bulletin, 1952
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Transatlantic Shop Talk, no. 2, 1979
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Edward S. Gordon, Co. Inc. "Up & Down," (text by Caplan, art by Ivan Chermayeff), 1983
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Panel at IDCA (Caplan at far left), 1964
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Notes on Attention, by Caplan for Herman Miller, 1978
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Lecture Announcement, 1980
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Clipping announcing lecture, 1963
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Cover, The Way We Write, by Ralph Caplan for Herman Miller
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First page of article, "5 Design Collections under 50 dollars," I.D. magazine, 2004