michele and gavin cooper

Michele and Gavin Cooper met during a happy hour for designers. When they married, they vowed never to work together. The result is Cooper Graphic Design, a husband-and-wife design firm based in Philadelphia PA. The Coopers each bring a unique and innovative approach to design and have achieved a great deal of professional success through their collaboration. Michele is an active participant in AIGA Philadelphia and the Diversity Task Force of AIGA National. Gavin is a professor of design principles and web strategy at the University of Pennsylvania.

Is graphic design a growth industry? Mainstream society has begun to recognize the importance of communicating through good design. Designers make communication relevant, and when a vehicle for communication is fully developed and well designed, it generates an experience that fosters legitimacy and trust. People are also discovering that, when collaborating with designers who understand their role to be integral to the communication process, they get an amazing product.

Do graphic designers have a special responsibility to promote a green society? Absolutely. For us, it's not just about paper and ink. We always strive to develop creative and efficient communication practices and promote green design. All of our designs are sustainably produced. We also foster a green lifestyle at work by recycling office supplies, using local vendors and cutting down on our commute — our studio is also our home.

ONE THING WE CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT ARE our iPhones

FAVORITE MOVIES

Michele
Amélie
Breakfast at Tiffany's
Rushmore

Gavin
Magnolia
The Shawshank Redemption
The Usual Suspects

FAVORITE BOOKS

Michele And the Ass Saw the Angel by Nick Cave
Post Office by Charles Bukowski
Still Life with Woodpecker by Tom Robbins

Gavin
Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris
The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand
The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger

FAVORITE SONGS

Michele
"Monkey Gone to Heaven" by The Pixies
"Maps" by Yeah Yeah Yeahs
"Us" by Regina Spektor

Gavin
"Shout Out Load" by Amos Lee
"Midnight Lullaby" by Tom Waits
"Imagine" by John Lennon

FAVORITE FINE ARTISTS

Michele
Alice Neel
Chuck Close
Cy Twombly

Gavin
Joseph Cornell
Barnett Newman
James Turrell

FAVORITE TV SHOWS

Michele
Dirty Sexy Money
The West Wing
thirtysomething

Gavin
The West Wing
M.A.S.H.
Six Feet Under

BOOKMARKED WEBSITES

Michele
aiga.org
aigaphilly.org
nytimes.org
greenpages.org

Gavin
designobserver.com
boxesandarrows.com
jibjab.com
aiga.org