Barry Zaid: An Artistic Journey from 1960s London to Push Pin, Celestial Seasonings to Mexico

Fashion and cultural historian Laura McLaws Helms in conversation with illustrator and graphic designer Barry Zaid.

Canadian self-taught artist Barry Zaid had had a long, fruitful career that has taken him all over the world. While living in London in the mid-to-late-1960s, his stylized 20s-inspired art and graphics were a vital part of the nascent Art Deco revival; they can be seen on the cover of ‘The Beatles’ First’ and the book that gave the movement its name, Bevis Hillier’s ‘Art Deco.’ Barry then brought his inimitable illustrations to New York and Push Pin Studios, where he worked under graphic design legends Milton Glaser and Seymour Chwast. In the late 1970s, Zaid became the creative director for Celestial Seasonings Tea, where he created their iconic packaging.

Over the decades, Barry worked for every major magazine and newspaper, from the Globe & Mail to Seventeen, Sesame Street to New York, Esquire to Ladies’ Home Journal. Zaid has designed hundreds of logos, packaging for a range of products, album covers, billboards, and also worked on many books. In 1990, he published ‘Wish You Were Here,’ a nostalgic tour through his collection of hand-tinted hotel picture postcards. Now living in San Miguel de Allende, 87-year-old Barry continues to paint and design.

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For full show notes, videos, episode resources, and a slideshow of photographs, head to https://sighswhispers.com/episode-45-barry-zaid

Produced and hosted by Laura McLaws Helms Featured Guest Barry Zaid