April Greiman: Digital Design Pioneer

April Greiman, born in New York in 1948, is a graphic designer who pioneered the use of digital tools as a creative medium. She studied at the Kansas City Art Institute and in Basel, Switzerland, under Armin Hofmann and Wolfgang Weingart, absorbing Swiss modernism. After moving to California, she fused European discipline with West Coast experimentation, collaborating with photographer Jayme Odgers to define California New Wave. In 1986, she created the iconic fold-out work 'Design Quarterly #133: Does It Make Sense?' for the Walker Art Center, using an Apple Macintosh to combine typography, photography, and digital space. The piece is held in MoMA and the Smithsonian's Cooper Hewitt. Her Los Angeles-based studio, Made in Space, spans graphic design, architecture, and public art. Greiman's legacy lies in making digital design sensual and human, distinct from peers like Wolfgang Weingart, Neville Brody, and David Carson.