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Posters: jacqueline s. casey - 30 years of design at mit

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Jacqueline Casey

Jacqueline Casey was born in Quincy, Massachusetts in 1927 and grew up with a passion for art. While her parents encouraged her to study bookkeeping, she pursued art against their wishes by entering the Massachusetts College of Art. It was at MassArt that Casey met and befriended Muriel Cooper. In 1949, Casey graduated from MassArt with a degree in fashion design and illustration. She entered the workforce which was very gradually becoming more accepting of women and worked in fashion design, advertising, and interior design. Except none of them felt quite right. Frustrated, Casey took three months to travel across Europe and clear her head. In 1955, Muriel Cooper hired Casey to work with her at MIT’s Office of Publications. Casey would soon become responsible for posters, catalogs, and other promotional materials. In 1958, Casey worked with Thérèse Moll, an assistant to seminal Swiss designer Karl Gerstner. Moll introduced Casey to the International Typographic Style. Casey was later appointed director of the Office of Publications, and MIT’s public image becam

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When the United States entered the Second World War, after the bombing of Pearl Harbor in December 1941, traditional roles for women changed forever as women began working outside the home while the men were away at war. Women who had held jobs before the war were now allowed to fill positions that were better paid than those previously available to them. This combination created more work opportunities for women well into the 1950s, and one young woman who directly benefitted from this was graphic designer Jacqueline S. Casey (1927-92).

Casey was born Jacqueline Shepard on 20 April 1927, in Quincy, Massachusetts, the only child of Helen Kingston and Roy Shepard, a working-class couple who struggled to make ends meet. Later, her mother married George Barkas and Jacqueline took her stepfather’s name. (At 21, she changed her name back to Shepard.)

By several accounts Casey was a committed school student, shy but blessed with a sense of humour. She attended Boston Girls’ High School, where students were required to choose a major. Though she was determined to become an artist,

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The Humanistic Designer: Jacqueline Casey

1950–1960

Personal, creative, visionary, elegant. These are the words used consistently to describe the work of MIT Graphic Designer Jacqueline Casey. Casey worked at MIT for more than 30 years, creating posters and other materials that resonated deeply with her audience.

Casey began her work in MIT’s Office of Publications (Design Services Office) in 1955, recruited by her former art school buddy, Muriel Cooper, who was then director. The office itself was considered cutting edge to have a graphic designer on staff.

Casey received her BFA from Mass College of Art. She became director in 1972 when Cooper joined the MIT faculty. Cooper described Casey’s work as follows: “The spirit of MIT nurtured her work, and in turn, her work nurtured the humanity of MIT.” (MIT News, May 20, 1992)

In particular, Casey’s posters stood out. As noted in the History of Graphic Design, the “posters generally consisted of a striking image or bold typography, accompanied by informational details in small text.