
Ladislav Sutnar Collection
<p>Papers of the Czech graphic designer Ladislav Sutnar, known as a pioneer of information architecture. Sutnar’s design work includes the parentheses used to demarcate American area code numbers and the typography of Bell’s 1960s phone directories as well as Dodge’s Sweet’s Catalog Service, where he served as art director from 1941 to 1960.</p> <p><a href="http://digital-libraries.artic.edu/cdm/search/collection/findingaids/searchterm/Sutnar,%20Ladislav,%20Collection/field/title/mode/all/conn/and/cosuppress/1">View finding aid.</a><br><a href="http://digital-libraries.artic.edu/cdm/search/collection/mqc/searchterm/Sutnar,%20Ladislav,%20Collection/field/subcol/mode/all/conn/and/cosuppress/1">View selected images from this collection.</a></p> <p>Collection access:<br>Collections may be accessed in the Franke Reading Room of the Research Center at The Art Institute of Chicago, by appointment only. For further information, consult <a href="https://www.artic.edu/archival-collections/contact-usage-and-faq">the FAQ</a>.</p> <p><a href="https://www.artic.edu/archival-collections/finding-aids">Finding aids by subject</a><br><a href="http://digital-libraries.saic.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/findingaids">Browse all finding aids</a><br><a href="http://digital-libraries.saic.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/mqc">Browse images and media</a><br><a href="https://www.artic.edu/archival-collections/oral-histories">Oral histories</a></p> <p>Contact the Ryerson and Burnham Art and Architecture Archives:<br>archives@artic.edu</p>
Catalogue
- Year
- 1941
- Dimensions
- 2 boxes and flatfile materials: W.: 30.5 cm (12 in.)
- Collection
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Artist
- Ladislav Sutnar
Artist

Printmaking
Ladislav Sutnar was an American graphic designer and typographer born in Czechoslovakia who pioneered functional approaches to information design and visual systems in the mid-twentieth century. Working across print, packaging, and exhibition design, he developed modular grid-based layouts and sans-serif typography that prioritized clarity and usability over decoration. His practice established foundational principles for systematic design that influenced generations of designers and information architects.
Full artist profile →More
More by Ladislav Sutnar
Ladislav Sutnar at Shuster Gallery, September 16 to October 4, 1969
1969 · Lithograph
RCA Ground Stations for Space Telecommunications
1964 · Lithograph
Tri noci (Three Nights)
1964 · Book with photolithography
Invitation to Art Directors Club
1964 · Lithograph
Break-through to the Hudson River: A Plan for Yonkers to Peekskill
1964 · Lithograph
Ceskoslovensko (Czechoslovakia)
1962 · Printed book with photolithographs and designed dust jacket
Record
Verified by WattsOS- Artist
- Ladislav Sutnar
- Year
- 1941
- Dimensions
- 2 boxes and flatfile materials: W.: 30.5 cm (12 in.)
- Watts ID
- WW-1941-017712
Source
- Collection
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Source
- aic
- Reference
- View at source
- Status
- verified





