IN CONVERSATION
about getting personality and
communication into simple forms.
That’s the same for when your
designing a company’s logo or
designing for an environment.
It’s all about solving the problem,
which can be complicated and
specific to the site. I guess studying
industrial design helped, as I learned
how to design an object in relation to
the space it existed in.In your talk it seemed you were
weary of churning out the same
work as your fellow Pratt students
[Pratt Institute, in Brooklyn, New
York Cit y]?
I didn’t really enjoy doing things
that looked like what was expected.
A lot of the work appeared as if it
were made at Pratt, but I didn’t enjoy
doing that type of work, so it was
difficult for me to get A’s. I had a bit
of a rebellious element in me, and I
think that in some ways is necessary.
I mean, I got hired by General
Motors, because my work didn’t
look like crap!What did you learn then that you
still use today?
A guy who was teaching English was
actually the coach of the basketball
team. I was there when guys were
just coming back from the Korean
War and they were eager to get an
education. They were getting a freeHow much did the soul of Mexico
City influence you as a person when
you worked on the Olympics, and
then the Metro, in 1968?It affected me enormously because
those guys, those early Mexican
cultures, had great designers,
artists... whatever you want to
call them. They were creating
images of plant life, human
forms, mythological characters,
mythological symbols with emotion
and personality. They were so
good at communicating through
geometry. I studied it all and I think
that’s one of the reasons why my
work fits so well there.
I wasn’t the only one! I mean,
look at Frank Loyd Wright, the
American architect – he was
very influenced by Mexico. And I
wouldn’t be surprised if Walt Disney
took inspiration from some of the
ancient Mexican characters, because
these guys were great storytellers
with very ‘simple’ imagery. They do
it all in one shot. That was one of the
things that has always impressed me.As well as logos, you’ve created
thousands of images that help
people negotiate spaces such as
museums, underground networks
and sport events. What’s the link
between the two types of design?
I’ve always been passionateRight: In
1971 Wyman
worked on the
Washington,
DC’s Metro maps
and signage.
Below: Before the
iconic work for the
Mexico Olympics
of 1968, Wyman
cut his teeth with
the identity of the
1964 Chrysler
Pavillion at the NY
World’s Fair.
L
ance Wyman’s love affair
with Mexico is well
documented. The New
Yorker first went there
to work on Mexico City’s
Metro wayfinding – the
information systems that
guide the countless people
bustling through what is
today the second largest
metro system in North America.
Wyman’s designs were a success
with commuters and municipal
administrators alike, and his
relationship with the city led to
him designing the Mexican 1968
Olympics identity. It’s also seen
him return this year to work on the
visuals of all the city’s transportation
systems. We caught up with the
design legend during this year’s
OFFSET Dublin, and spoke about
meditation, memory and the soul of
Mexico City.JUNE 2019
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