Paula Scher studied at the Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia and began her graphic design career as a record cover art director at both Atlantic and CBS Records in the 1970s. In 1984 she co-founded Koppel & Scher, and in 1991 she joined Pentagram as a partner.

Drawing from what Tom Wolfe has called the “big closet” of art and design history, classic and pop iconography, literature, music, and film, Scher creates images that speak to contemporary audiences with emotional impact and appeal. Three decades into her career, these images have come to be visually identified with the cultural life of New York City.

Scher has developed identity and branding systems, promotional materials, environmental graphics, packaging, and publication designs for a broad range of clients that include, among others, Bloomberg, Coca-Cola, Perry Ellis, The Museum of Modern Art, Jazz at Lincoln Center, the Metropolitan Opera, the New York City Ballet, the New York Philharmonic, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, the New 42nd Street, the New York Botanical Garden, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, the Robin Hood Foundation, and The Daily Show With Jon Stewart. In 1996, Scher’s widely imitated identity for The Public Theater won the coveted Beacon Award for integrated corporate design strategy.