283:
Lawrence W. Lowman, who in civilian life became Vice
President of CBS's television division, was searching for someone who "had a full grasp of the whole range of commercial-art techniques." He found Olden, and from a one-man operation involved with six programs a week, Olden eventually headed a staff of 14 in charge of 60 weekly shows. When he joined the network in 1945, there were 16,000 television sets in the entire nation. By the time he left the network in 1960, there were 85 million sets, one for every two Americans. During his time at OSS, Olden dropped the second "e" from his first name as a way to make himself more noticeable to magazine editors. Another possible motive for this spelling change was to hide his race by making his name appear Scandinavian.
314:
367:, "In my work I've never felt like a Negro. Maybe I've been lucky." However, in 1970, he sued his former employer, McCann Erickson, for wrongful termination caused by discrimination. He cited the dissolution of the Professional Advisory Council (PAC), of which he was a member, was a conscious decision to not allow him to move up in the company thereby keeping him at the level in which he joined the company. McCann argued that Olden never requested a transfer out of PAC into a position that would lead to greater promotion within the company. In 1972, the
378:, Olden started a class-action lawsuit against McCann Erickson for discrimination on behalf of himself and other black designers who were victims of discrimination, but was shot to death by live-in girlfriend Irene Mikolajczyk, who was arrested and tried a few days before the class action lawsuit was scheduled to begin. She pleaded not guilty and was acquitted in court.
294:, and as such was one of the first African-Americans to work in television. At CBS, he was an ardent champion of contemporary art, commissioning on-air art and title cards by modern artists. "The door is open for artists on TV," he proclaimed in 1954. One example was the creation of the "truth teller" icon that was used during the 1956–1978 seasons of "
282:
and designed posters promoting wartime conservation efforts. Olden worked for some of
America's leading artists, designers and writers and made contacts that opened significant professional opportunities after the war. When the war ended in 1945, the head of the OSS communications division, Colonel
344:
Olden married
Courtenaye MacBeth in 1941 and divorced her in 1966, the same year he married his second wife, Terri Phillips Baker. He became estranged from Baker after his career declined and began living with his new girlfriend, Irene Mikolajczyk. Olden was the father of
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and designed the organization's symbol, but despite his position at McCann
Erickson, he tended to avoid pressing racial issues or pressing firms to hire blacks, saying acceptance into the industry is a matter of talent. In 1963, Olden told
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230:, where his father served as minister to Plymouth Congregational Church. In 1933, after becoming increasingly politically active, Olden's father left his family in order to dedicate himself entirely to the
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with a simple design of a broken chain in black on a blue background. He attended a White House ceremony where the stamp was introduced by
President
643:"THE WORLD OF STAMPS; The Spellman Philatelic Museum's Novel Aspect Birthday Celebration Emancipation Stamp BIRDS AND A ROAD ALBUM U.N. FLAGS"
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198:. In 1963, Olden became the first African-American to design a postage stamp, creating a design commemorating the centennial of the
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found reasonable cause that the company practiced discriminatory hiring but did not find reasonable cause on behalf of Olden.
176:(November 13, 1920 – February 25, 1975) was an American graphic designer who worked in television and advertising. Working at
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874:"Olden, Georg(e) 1920–1975 - Dictionary definition of Olden, Georg(e) 1920–1975 | Encyclopedia.com: FREE online dictionary"
530:"Olden, Georg(e) 1920–1975 - Dictionary definition of Olden, Georg(e) 1920–1975 | Encyclopedia.com: FREE online dictionary"
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826:"59 PRIZE AWARDS MADE BY ART CLUB; Honor Go to Those Showing Best Examples in Editorial and Advertising Fields"
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Georg Olden's 1963 Emancipation
Proclamation commemorative stamp designed for the United States Postal Service.
242:, one of the America's first public high schools for African American students, and then went on to study at
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In 1970, McCann
Erickson laid him off with the reason being cited as the economic downturn of the time.
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as the TV group art supervisor. In 1963, he became the VP-senior art director at the major firm,
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Olden has been said to have a mixed legacy in terms of race. Olden worked with the
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In 1963, he became the first
African-American to design a postage stamp for the
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George Elliot Olden was born to James
Clarence Olden and Sylvia Ward Olden in
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Source: CHAMBERS, J. Meet One of the
Pioneering Blacks in the Ad Industry.
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210:, once listed him among the top fifteen designers in the United States.
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Source: Graphic Design History 115-128; personal interviews: 2010-2013
298:". In 1960, he began to work in advertising and went on to design the
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222:, on November 13, 1920, as the grandson of a slave and the son of a
325:. The design commemorated the centennial of the declaration of the
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180:, Olden helped to create the visual identities of shows such as
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Graphic Icons: Visionaries who Shaped Modern Graphic Design
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preacher. Shortly after his birth, his family relocated to
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Heller, Steven; Ballance, Georgette (September 30, 2001).
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266:. While working at the OSS, Olden published cartoons in
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as well as receive seven of them. In 1960, he moved to
623:"Meet One of the Pioneering Blacks in the Ad Industry"
507:"Meet One of the Pioneering Blacks in the Ad Industry"
206:-winning graphic designer, and a Japanese magazine,
850:"News of Advertising and Marketing; Florida Citrus"
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905:AIGA | the professional association for design
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434:AIGA | the professional association for design
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499:
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996:Dunbar High School (Washington, D.C.) alumni
768:. Johnson Publishing Company. November 1960.
738:Heller, Steven; Ballance, Georgette (2001).
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393:Art Directors Club of New York medal, 1956
16:African-American art director (1920–1975)
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369:Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
254:Olden dropped out of college after the
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258:to work as a graphic designer for the
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589:"To Tell The Truth (October 5, 1973)"
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286:From 1945 to 1960, Olden worked with
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901:"2007 AIGA Medalist: Georg Olden"
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430:"2007 AIGA Medalist: Georg Olden"
1006:Virginia State University alumni
971:Murdered African-American people
941:Artists from Birmingham, Alabama
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388:Art Directors Club of New York
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666:Clifford, John (2013-05-01).
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695:"George Olden (1920-1975) •"
455:"George Olden (1920-1975) •"
402:Seven Clio Awards, 1962-1970
323:United States Postal Service
260:Office of Strategic Services
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956:American advertising people
742:. Skyhorse Publishing Inc.
693:Aller, Henry (2016-03-19).
453:Aller, Henry (2016-03-19).
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951:American graphic designers
490:– via Google Books.
399:, Advertising prize, 1967
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327:Emancipation Proclamation
262:(OSS), forerunner of the
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200:Emancipation Proclamation
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991:American stamp designers
715:"MARC OLDEN - biography"
981:Paramount Global people
376:Los Angeles, California
234:. In youth he attended
59:Los Angeles, California
740:Graphic Design History
477:Graphic Design History
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256:attack on Pearl Harbor
244:Virginia State College
71:Virginia State College
672:. Pearson Education.
358:National Urban League
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232:civil rights movement
878:www.encyclopedia.com
561:AIGA Medal biography
534:www.encyclopedia.com
397:Cannes Film Festival
174:George Elliott Olden
128:Terri Phillips Baker
114: 1941;
33:George Elliott Olden
290:, art director for
220:Birmingham, Alabama
40:Birmingham, Alabama
966:Clio Award winners
854:The New York Times
830:The New York Times
784:The New York Times
780:"McCann Bias Case"
647:The New York Times
480:. Allworth Press.
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236:Dunbar High School
101:Courtenaye MacBeth
749:978-1-58115-094-0
719:www.marcolden.com
296:To Tell the Truth
268:National CIO News
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153:Irene Mikolajczyk
51:February 25, 1975
36:November 13, 1920
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77:Occupation(s)
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908:. Retrieved
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53:(1975-02-25)
936:1975 deaths
931:1920 births
600:November 3,
390:medal, 1953
351:Georg Olden
189:I Love Lucy
166:Georg Olden
23:Georg Olden
986:CBS people
925:Categories
910:2017-03-11
883:2017-03-11
859:2017-04-12
835:2017-04-12
789:2017-04-12
724:2021-10-27
700:2021-10-27
652:2017-04-12
628:2017-04-12
539:2017-03-11
512:2017-03-11
460:2021-10-27
439:2017-03-11
413:References
406:AIGA Medal
347:Marc Olden
300:Clio Award
214:Early life
204:AIGA medal
162:Marc Olden
183:Gunsmoke
158:Children
594:YouTube
279:Esquire
224:Baptist
150:Partner
143:
135:
131:
120:
108:
104:
91:Spouses
746:
676:
484:
408:, 2007
382:Awards
276:, and
250:Career
195:Lassie
192:, and
85:ad man
61:, U.S.
42:, U.S.
765:Ebony
364:Ebony
137:(
133:
110:(
106:
744:ISBN
674:ISBN
602:2019
482:ISBN
349:and
304:BBDO
208:Idea
116:div.
48:Died
29:Born
292:CBS
264:CIA
238:in
178:CBS
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.