George Lois (1931–2022) was an American art director, designer, advertising visionary, and author. He was best known for the over 92 covers he designed for Esquire magazine 1962–73.
Born in the Bronx, New York, Lois attended Pratt Institute for one year, then left to work for Reba Sochis until he was drafted six months later by the Army to fight in the Korean War. After the Korean War, Lois went to work for the advertising and promotions department at CBS. He founded his agency, Papert Koenig Lois (PKL,) and later became a founding partner of the creative powerhouse agency, Lois, Holland, Callaway (later renamed Lois/USA.)
Lois’s career took off in the early 1960s when he became the art director at Esquire. His innovative magazine covers, featuring iconic images and provocative concepts, challenged conventions and elevated magazine design to an art form. His memorable covers often combined visual impact with social and political commentary. For example, his cover featuring Muhammad Ali as Saint Sebastian became an iconic representation of the intersection of sports and religion.
Beyond publishing, Lois achieved acclaim for his creative contributions to advertising. His works include $ellebrity: My Angling and Tangling With Famous People (2003,) George Lois on His Creation of the Big Idea (2008,) and Damn Good Advice for People with Talent (2012.)
More: Wikipedia • READ: Works by George Lois
Creativity can solve almost any problem. The creative act, the defeat of habit by originality, overcomes everything.
—George Lois
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