Abbott Miller is a designer and writer, who is a partner in the
New York office of the international design firm Pentagram. Prior
to Pentagram Abbott was the founding director of the
multidisciplinary studio Design/Writing/Research, where he
pioneered the concept of “designer as author†undertaking
projects in which content and form are developed in a symbiotic
relationship.
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. He has designed
books on the work of Matthew Barney, Nam June Paik, Doris
Salcadeo, Hans Haacke, Antonin Artaud, and many other artists,
architects, and designers. 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.
His recent projects include the design of The Couch: Thinking in
Repose at the Freud Museum in Vienna, and a comprehensive
new graphic identity program for the Maryland Institute College
of Art (MICA). He is currently working with the Art Institute of
Chicago on a new identity and signage system. His design of all
the exhibitions for the new Harley-Davidson Musuem will debut in
June of 2008.
He is the co-author of four books, including Design/
Writing/Research: Writing on Graphic Design.
