My very first encounter with Doyald was on the back seat of his Lexus. No, he didn’t sit next to me – he sat in front of me. He was driving Petrula and me to the first Y-Conference in San Diego I ever spoke at.
Fresh off the boat from Berlin I had no concept that the grossmeister of curves was chauffeuring us down I-5.
To me, he was just a gentleman of impeccable manners and a wicked sense of humor – which prompted me to bite his ear in an attempt to make him drive faster. He took it with nonchalance. Without increasing his cruising speed. We arrived, he presented on stage, blew me and everyone else away – and when I became Graphic Design chair a year later Doyald was the first teacher I (re-)hired.
“You must be modern and stay antique” this profound quote from Astérix le Gaulois perfectly applied to Doyald,
his impeccable style and craftsmanship never prevented him from taking risks and trying new things: he did not even flinch
when I suggested to experiment in his class with a mash-up of calligraphy and automotive tape drawing techniques.
Again, with the nonchalance of a true master did he assign beautiful names of classic automobile marques to my classmates and me,
which soon after adorned the hallways of Art Center in the shape of most elegant tape drawings.
Of the many things I have learned from Doyald over the years, it is the idea of balancing the old and new, slow and fast,
serious and silly that makes true stature.
Nik Hafermaas
Chair Graphic Design | Dean of Special Programs
Art Center College of Design
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