Carin Goldberg, a graphic designer who was said to have brought a postmodern sensibility to book and album covers — who helped female designers establish themselves at the top echelons of visual communications — and who was at the center of the vibrant New York City design scene from the 1980s-2000s — died on January 19 at her home in Stanfordville NY. She was 69. Her husband, architect James Biber, said the cause was a glioblastoma brain tumor. She is survived by her husband and her son, Julian.
A native New Yorker, Goldberg received her BFA from Cooper Union in 1975. Her early career included stints as as staff designer at CBS Television, CBS Records and Atlantic Records, where she designed iconic covers for artists including Madonna (shown here), Yo-Yo Ma, Sly and the Family Stone, Bette Midler, Patti LaBelle, Carole King, Earth, Wind & Fire and hundreds more.
She established her own studio in 1982 and helped revolutionize book jacket design, creating book covers for Kurt Vonnegut, James Joyce (shown here) and many more. In addition, she succeeded in publication design with clients including Time Inc., Mademoiselle, The Hearst Company, The New York Times, New York Magazine, The Atlantic, Meredith Corporation, Conde Nast, and Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia. She also worked in the fields of brand consulting, editorial illustration, authorship, and curation.
In 2009, Goldberg received the AIGA Gold Medal and in 2012 The Cooper Union awarded her the Augustus Saint-Gaudens Medal for distinguished achievement in art. The same year she was presented The Cooper Union President’s Citation for “exceptional contributions to the field of graphic design… recognizing outstanding citizenship, ethics and social responsibility.” In 2010, a retrospective of her work and career was exhibited at Musée Géo-Charles, Échirolles, France. Goldberg served a two-year term as president of AIGA NY. She taught Typography and Senior Portfolio Thesis, Design History and Editorial Design at SVA in Manhattan for three decades and was one of the first recipients of the Art Directors Club Grandmasters Award for Excellence in Education.
GDUSA’s 50th anniversary reader poll, conducted in 2013, named Goldberg one of the 50 most influential graphic designers of the modern era.
