When I graduated from SVA in 1964, the post-war fields of advertising and graphic design were recognizing and rewarding "creativity" as the new premium for aiding commerce. My classmates were young brilliant "creatives," eager to enter the field where their heroes were already blazing a trail of innovative design and new approaches to the look and feel of everything visual. Filmmakers were influencing fashion photographers, corporate design rules were being re-written by revolutionary creative directors, record album covers were raised to a level of fine art, upstart art directors and copywriters (Mad Men, and Women) were throwing out the rule book for how TV commercials were made. The very air was humming with creativity. While most of my friends sought ad agency jobs, for myself, my first job after school was with the package design studio where I had already been working as an after-school apprentice. Liotta Associates was a small but thriving and successful package design studio, with gilt-edged clients,i.e.: Seagram; Revlon, Coty Cosmetics; Avon. The two principal partners were former industrial designers who began their association working for the legendary Donald Desky, designer of the Radio City Theater. Frank Liotta and Fred Kroth had assembled a brilliant team of post-war artisans and illustrators that resembled a guild of Middle Age monks. For the first year working there after graduation, I was a glorified office boy I guess you could say. Mostly relegated to running errands, filing things, and occasionally getting to do simple paste-ups. (more to come when I get the time.)