By Mark Kaufman
This is becoming a regular occurrence and a regular Monday morning feature. It seems that every damn week in the New York Times, there is a nice piece on design, or illustration or animation and cartooning, giving these disciplines the same respect as the traditional arts and business coverage of fine art, architecture, literature, film and theatre. It is a very positive trend. In yesterday’s Sunday Times there were two articles to talk about, one on George Lois and one on Ralph Bakshi, both of which were great influences on me. Mr. Lois of course the legendary adman and designer of New York Magazine and Esquire covers, in addition to infamous work for the likes of OTB, Maypo and MTV. Mr. Bakshi the maverick animator that directed the film versions of Fritz the Cat, Wizards, Lord of the Rings and mid 60s Terrytoons. Both men had their largest cultural impact in the 1960s and 70s, and their bodies of work certainly drew me into my present career.