Biography/Work Experience

Earl Gee is Partner and Creative Director, with Fani Chung, of Gee + Chung Design, the award-winning multidisciplinary brand communications firm they founded in San Francisco in 1990. The firm creates intelligent, innovative, and compelling design solutions which provide strategic value to clients. Earl has built an international reputation for creating successful branding, print, packaging, environmental, and interactive programs for many of Silicon Valley’s most influential companies including Apple, Applied Materials, IBM, Oracle, National Semiconductor, Sun, and Symantec, enjoying the conceptual challenge of making complex technology understandable, meaningful, and memorable to audiences. Notable projects included the Apple educational training brochure and software packaging, Applied Materials Technical Seminar Series at SEMICON West tradeshow graphics and collateral, National Semiconductor PowerWise and SolarMagic brands, Oracle Information Highway book, Sun Microsystems worldwide operations brand, and Symantec software packaging and annual report. He has also been responsible for the creative direction of the Bay Area Air Quality Management District branding program, Chronicle Books tradeshow and Star Wars Chronicles book, Greenleaf Medical poster and brochure, San Francisco Art Commission Market Street Art in Transit brand, and ArtCenter College of Design Alumni Council, DOT Launch, and Design Accelerator brands. Earl began his career in 1983 as a designer at Landor Associates in San Francisco, creating identity programs for Fortune 500 companies. Notable projects included the Axel Johnson Industries (Sweden) brand, RCA Columbia Pictures MusicVision brand, Atari packaging, City and County of San Francisco annual report, and Art Directors Club medal-winning Trauma Foundation poster series. In 1984 Earl became a senior designer at Mark Anderson Design in Palo Alto, where he created award-winning design programs for a wide range of clients. Notable projects included the Herman Miller corporate showroom and collateral, Oakland Museum “Graphic Art of Charles Schulz” exhibition catalog and collateral, PG&E “Dimensions” brand and collateral, Datacopy annual report and brochure, and Z Typography posters and delivery vehicle. Earl was named in Graphic Design USA’s 50th Anniversary Survey as one of the 50 “Most Influential Graphic Designers Working Today,” one of its “People to Watch in 2010,” and was one of only 50 U.S. graphic designers selected for the international edition of Who’s Who in Graphic Design. He has served on a U.N.-sponsored design delegation touring China, lectured at leading universities and design organizations across the country, and served as a frequent juror for major design competitions including Communication Arts, Creativity, Spark, Critique, STEP, Publish, and Exhibitor. He has served on the board of the San Francisco chapter of AIGA, the professional association for design, as membership chair and was honored as a prestigious AIGA San Francisco Fellow in 2015 for his significant contribution to raising the standards of excellence in practice and conduct within his design community and AIGA chapter.   Under Earl’s creative direction, Gee + Chung Design has won multiple gold and silver awards from virtually every major design competition including Graphis, AIGA, Communication Arts, Print, I.D., HOW, STEP, the One Show, Art Directors Club, Type Directors Club, Society of Typographic Arts, Society of Publication Designers, and Society for Environmental Graphic Design. His work has been exhibited internationally and is in the permanent collections of the U.S. Library of Congress, AIGA Archives, and ArtCenter College of Design Archives.

Philosophy on Work

“Use a unique point of view: your client’s.” By creating a unique positioning for our clients, our design solutions are unique for them alone, resulting in a different approach for each client. “Understand the past to design the future.” Only by recognizing what has been already done can we identify new opportunities for design innovation, differentiation, and distinction. “Create design that engages the mind.” The most effective designs get people to think, invite viewer participation, and establish an emotional connection with their audience. “Craft a compelling and evocative story.” The most memorable designs incorporate different levels of meaning, enabling our audience to discover something new every time. “Create an iconic, universal, and timeless solution.” The most enduring designs represent the best of their kind, are universally understood, and withstand the test of time. “Focus on creating client value, not visuals.” Every design decision we make should further our client’s mission, build their brand, and create enduring value for their company. “Design is not only about results, but relationships.” We are dedicated to making the creative journey with our clients as enjoyable, productive, and rewarding as the outcome.

Professional Specialties

Branding, stationery, invitations, promotions, brochures, books, packaging, environmental and interactive design

Graphis Appearances

Graphis Design 93, 94, 95, 97, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 Graphis Logo Design 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 Graphis Letterhead 4, 5, 7, 8 Graphis Corporate Identity 2, 3 Graphis Branding 5, 6 Graphis Poster Annual 94, 17 Graphis 100 Best Annual Reports 09 Graphis Book Design 1 Graphis Packaging 6, 7 Graphis Diagram 2 Graphis Typography Graphis BrandingUSA 1, 2 Graphis DesignersUSA 2

Awards

AIGA Communication Graphics: 1985, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1996, 1997
 AIGA 50 Books/50 Covers: 1986 AIGA California Design 2: 1985 AIGA Greening of Design: 1997 
AIGA SF cause/affect: 2007 American Advertising Federation ADDY Awards: 1993, 1995, 1998 Applied Arts Design & Advertising Awards: 1998, 2003, 2010
 Art Directors Club: 1985 (Silver), 1986, 1987
 Art Directors Club of Los Angeles: 1983, 1985, 1986, 1987 Communication Arts Design Annual: 1991, 1992, 1994, 2000, 2009, 2011 Communication Arts Typography Annual: 2011, 2014
 Creativity: 1986, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 (Gold), 2005, 2006, 2007 (Gold), 2008 (Silver), 2009 (Platinum, Gold, Silver), 2010 (Gold), 2011, 2012 (Platinum, Silver), 2013 (Platinum, Gold, Silver), 2014 (Silver)
 Critique Magazine The Big Crit: 1998, 2000 Exhibitor Magazine Exhibit Design Awards: 1989, 1993 (Gold)
 HOW International Design Awards: 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2017
 HOW Promotion Design Awards: 1996, 1997, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2008, 2016 IDA International Design Awards: 2007 (First Prize), 2009, 2011 (Bronze), 2012 (Gold, Bronze) Identity Magazine (Russia) Best of the Best: 2010 (First Place) LogoLounge: 3/2006, 5/2009, 6/2011, 8/2013 Print Computer Art & Design Annual: 1991, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1998
 Print Regional Design Annual: 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2014, 2015, 2016 Print Typography & Lettering Awards (Best in Class): 2017 
San Francisco Art Directors Club: 1986, 1992 (Silver), 1994, 1998 
Society for Environmental Graphic Design: 1993 
Society of Publication Designers: 1987, 1993, 1994, 1995, 2004
 Society of Typographic Arts 100 Show: 1986, 1987, 1991
 Spark Design Awards: 2007 (Best of Category), 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013 (Gold, Silver, Bronze)
 STEP Inside Design 100: 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003 Stora Enso What Teams Can Do Competition: 2004 (First Place)
 The One Show: 2011 
Type Directors Club: 1986, 1991
 University and College Designers Association: 2000 (Gold), 2013

Graphis Awards

Graphis Design Annual: 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 2011 (Gold), 2012 (Gold), 2013 (Gold), 2014 (Silver), 2015 (Silver), 2016, 2017 (Silver) Graphis Logo Design: 2/1992, 3/1996, 5/2001, 6/2004, 7/2007 (Gold), 8/2012 (Gold), 9/2017 (Silver) Graphis Letterhead: 4/1998, 5/2001, 7/2007 (Gold), 8/2017 (Silver) Graphis Corporate Identity: 2/1994, 3/1998 Graphis Branding: 5/2008 (Gold), 6/2012 (Gold) Graphis Poster Annual: 1994, 2017 Graphis 100 Best Annual Reports: 2009 (Silver) Graphis Book Design: 1/1996 Graphis Packaging: 6/1994, 7/1996 Graphis Diagram: 2/1996
 Graphis Typography: 3/2015 (Silver)

Featured In:

Museum/Gallery Collections

U.S. Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Collection, Washington, D.C., 2014; Colorado State University Libraries International Poster Collection, Fort Collins, CO, 2003; AIGA Archives, New York, NY, 1999

Books

Graphis DesignersUSA 2, Graphis Press, 2008; Graphis BrandingUSA 2, Graphis Press, 2007; Graphis BrandingUSA 1, Graphis Press, 2006; Graphic Design: America 2, Rockport Publishers, 1996; Who’s Who in Graphic Design, Bentali Werd-Verlag, 1994

Articles

AIGA SF 2015 Fellow Video Interview, 2015, https://vimeo.com/159871832; People to Watch in 2010, Graphic Design USA, January/February 2010; http://geechungdesign.com/recognition/archive/GCD-2010-Jan-GDUSA.pdf

Museum/Gallery Exhibitions

IDA Visionary Exhibit, Museum of Design Art + Architecture, Los Angeles, CA, 2008; 25 Years of AIGA San Francisco, AIGA SF Office, San Francisco, CA, 2008; Alphabetilately A to Z, Smithsonian National Postal Museum, Washington, D.C., 2007

Lectures/Appearances

AIGA DC, Washington, D.C., 2013; HOW Design Conference Studio Tour, San Francisco, CA, 2013; AIGA National Leadership Retreat, Minneapolis, MN, 2011; United Nations Package Design Symposium, Beijing, China, 1990

Education

Earl received his BFA in Graphic Design with Distinction from ArtCenter College of Design in 1983, receiving the Landor Associates Dale Brubaker Award as the graphic design graduate demonstrating outstanding promise in conceptual design and strategic acumen. In 2004 he was selected for inclusion in “Design Impact: A History of ArtCenter College of Design.”

Clients

Technology: Adobe Systems, Altera, Apple, Applied Materials, Autodesk, Borland, Claris, DigiPlex, iAsiaWorks, IBM, Maxim Integrated, Nanocosm Technologies, National Semiconductor, Netigy, Oracle, Qualys, Sun Microsystems, Symantec, SynOptics, Vitria Technology, Xerox, Xinet Healthcare: Collagen, Greenleaf Medical, InWorld Solutions, Vaxart Services: Off-Site Records Management, Pacific Gas & Electric Company, Webcor Builders Retail: Duty Free Shopping, Imaginarium, Reel.com, Virtual Vineyards Publishing: Chronicle Books, Lucasfilm, Ltd., Peachpit Press, Simon & Schuster Venture Capital: Castile Ventures, ComVentures, DCM, Equilibrium Capital, Exponent Capital, Partech International, Sequoia Capital, Ultra Capital, Velocity Interactive Group, Walden International Government: Bay Area Air Quality Management District, Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, San Francisco Arts Commission, Smithsonian Institution Education: Art Center College of Design, Stanford University, University of California, Davis Non-profit: Alliance Healthcare Foundation, Community Partnership of Santa Clara County, Give Something Back International

Affiliations

Earl has been a member of the San Francisco chapter of AIGA, the professional association for design, since 1984. He served on the board of AIGA San Francisco as membership chair from 2010 to 2012, increasing membership from 1,200 members in 2010 to nearly 1,800 members in 2012, establishing AIGA SF as the second largest chapter in the nation. In 2015 he was honored with the prestigious AIGA SF Fellow Award.

Area of Expertise

Branding, stationery, invitations, promotions, brochures, books, packaging, environmental and interactive design

Hobbies / Freetime

Travel