Cooper Hewitt says...
American graphic designers Otis (Shep) Shepard and Dorothy Van Gorder met in 1927 when Shepard, acting as Art Director for Foster & Kleiser Outdoor Advertising Company, hired Van Gorder straight out of California School of Arts and Crafts (now, California College of Arts). [1] The two were married in 1929, and on their honeymoon traveled throughout Europe, where they were exposed to the proliferation of avant-garde styles. In particular they were struck by the graphic work of Joseph Binder (Austrian, 1898–1972), and quickly began incorporating modernist aesthetics into their own work for clients back in the US. [2] Their most prominent work from the 1930s is exemplified by a masterful handling of airbrush techniques, an effect they continued to employ for the entirety of their careers. Together, the Shepards worked successfully throughout the 20th century across media and scales—designing everything from chewing gum wrappers, MLB uniforms, and the Santa Catalina Island resort environment that were part and parcel of the Wrigley Empire, to advertising billboards and posters. Though both designers had extensive, independent careers with clients and commissions of their own, the two worked together frequently, with Van Gorder often acting as an unsigned collaborator.
[1] Charlotte Strick, “Shep and Dorothy,” The Paris Review, Nov. 15, 2014, accessed Dec. 6, 2018, https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2014/11/15/shep-and-dorothy.
[2] Jim Northover, “The First Couple of American Billboards,” Eye, no. 89, vol. 23, 2014, accessed Dec. 6, 2018, http://www.eyemagazine.com/feature/article/the-first-couple-of-american-billboards.
