Richard Wilde Papers

The Richard Wilde Papers comprise mainly posters, most of which Wilde had some hand in creating (as designer, art director, or creative director). Additional materials include exhibition announcements, invitations, and promotional material; certificates awarded to Wilde, to his wife and business partner, Judith Wilde, and to the School of Visual Arts (mainly for its publications, such as the Senior Library showcasing student work); advertisements for talks and workshops given by Wilde; and a few photographs. Series 1: SVA Course Announcements comprises posters announcing various course offerings at SVA—courses either taught by Wilde or by others, in the Advertising and Graphic Design department and in other departments. Wilde served as art director on many of the posters. Series 2: SVA Events comprises posters for SVA events. Series 3. SVA Exhibitions comprises posters for SVA exhibitions. Wilde served as art director on many of the posters. Series 4. SVA Media Arts/BFA Advertising and Graphic Design comprises two subseries containing the "Problems:Solutions" series of worksheet posters (many co-created with Judith Wilde), themed posters created by Media Arts (later Advertising and Graphic Design) students (Wilde served as art director on most of the posters), and two copies of the first issue of the student publication "Do You Like Me?" Series 5. SVA Promotional Materials comprises posters, flyers, and ephemera promoting the school in general. Wilde served as art director on many of the posters. Series 6. SVA Scholarship Fund is divided into two subseries: Subseries 1. Scholarship Competition comprises posters and some ephemeral materials relating to the annual scholarship competition for SVA hosted by the Scholarship Committee. Subseries 2. Public Advertising System comprises posters created as part of the Public Advertising System, a project created circa 1973 by Wilde, featuring posters created by students and faculty for New York City nonprofits. Series 7. Professional and Early Career Materials comprises materials related to Richard Wilde's professional career as a designer and an educator, including certificates of professional membership, awards, and promotional materials for workshops and lectures. Series 8. Photographs comprises three photographs of Richard Wilde: one in front of a classroom and two speaking at an dinner event. Series 9. Miscellaneous Materials comprises materials donated by Richard Wilde that do not have a direct connection to his work as a teacher and administrator at the School of Visual Arts or as a design professional. Richard Wilde is a designer and design educator who has been associated with the School of Visual Arts since 1969, including serving as chair of the Advertising and Graphic Design programs its various incarnations from 1971-2019. During his tenure at SVA, he taught more than 10,000 students in his landmark Visual Literacy class and hired renowned professionals to teach alongside him on the faculty. With Judith Wilde, he is cofounder of Wilde Design. His books include “Visual Literacy: A Conceptual Approach to Graphic Problem Solving,” “Problems: Solutions, Visual Thinking for Graphic Communicators,” and “The Process: A New Foundation in Art and Design,” cowritten with Judith Wilde. He retired as chair of SVA's BFA Advertising and Graphic Design department in 2019, after fifty years at the College.  Richard Wilde began teaching at the School of Visual Arts in the Advertising Design department in 1969. In 1971, the Advertising Design and Illustration departments were merged to form the Media Arts department and Wilde became co-chair, alongside Marshall Arisman, formerly chair of the Illustration department. Under his auspices, faculty member Andrienne Leban developed the Public Advertising System around 1973, through which faculty and students created advertising communication for non-profit organizations across New York City. Wilde served as Art Director for the Visual Arts Press from 1977 until 1981, though by then he had already been involved in design for the school for many years, including the annual course catalog. In 1989, the Media Arts department split into Illustration and Cartooning, chaired by Jack Endwelt, and Graphic Design and Advertising, chaired by Richard Wilde. By 1993, Advertising and Graphic Design was its own department, apart from Illustration and Cartooning. In 2019, after fifty years at SVA, Richard Wilde retired as chair of the BFA Advertising and the BFA Design departments.