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Born in 1903, Lester Beall (refer plate 1) was a renowned American modernist designer. Beall studied Art History at the University of Chicago from 1922 to 1926, having previously studied at Chicago’s Art Institute. By incorporating elements of European modernism into his work he became a great influence on the graphic design industry, as he was one of the first American designers to do this. He particularly studied European avant-garde design, incorporating elements into his own bold designs for business and industry. Although he extensively studied the topic, Beall found he learnt much of his design-related knowledge simply through reading books and periodicals. Beall set styles and standards in many fields from creative and comprehensive packaging to corporate identities. He demonstrated creative design solutions for problems but could also deal with the marketing side of the project. He did many kinds of graphic work, from posters to packaging to corporate identities, beginning his career in design as a freelance designer and illustrator, when he set up his own studio in 1927. In 1935 he moved to New York and opened a studio/office in his apartment in Manhattan. There he did much work which was influential to the field of