Forty years ago, on September 10, 1985, The Cooper Union Herb Lubalin Study Center of Design and Typography began with a simple mission: to preserve the work and legacy of Herb Lubalin, a Cooper Union alumnus and one of America’s most influential graphic designers. Forty years later, that mission has expanded into one of the world’s most significant archives dedicated to graphic design, typography, and visual culture. The collection, which opened with a series of original design pieces by Herb Lubalin and his studio, has grown to encompass nearly 80,000 design objects by a multitude of designers spanning two centuries and five continents. The space provides students and designers unparalleled open access to rare publications, posters, sketches, and other materials that contextualize the history of design. 

To mark its 40th anniversary, the Herb Lubalin Study Center is launching a special anniversary speaker series that brings together leading voices from across contemporary visual culture to share their insights into the past and future of design practices. The series brings to life the center’s digital publication Flat File that was launched in 2016 to surface stories about objects within the collection. The premise for the free lecture series is to invite designers, artists, and researchers into the collection and to see what stories they uncover. Each participant will select a single object from the collection and then deliver a talk about it. They will also design a commemorative poster connected to the object that will be available for free to all lecture attendees. 

“Archives are not static repositories, and this series celebrates the enduring relevance of archives as places where design’s past actively shapes its future,” says Herb Lubalin Center director Alexander Tochilovsky A’00. “Rather than simply looking back nostalgically, the anniversary program looks at ways that the past can lead us forward.” 

The Open Flat File series is co-organized by Tochilovsky and the center’s assistant curator Jess Kuronen A’16. It will be staged during the 2026–2027 academic year, which also falls on the 10th anniversary of the digital publication. The series’s first lecture—featuring photographer and Cooper Union School of Art alumnus Awol Erizku on September 10, 2026—marks the start of the archive’s 41st year. 

In addition to Erizku, the series includes archivist and Library180 co-founder Nikki Igol (September 24, 2026); artist, designer, and founder of the multidisciplinary design studio Bright Polka Dot Kelly Walters (October 15, 2026); graphic designer and author David Reinfurt (November 19, 2026); designer Jan Wilker (December 10, 2026); AIGA Medal and the Cooper Hewitt National Design Awardee and former Cooper Union faculty member Lucille Tenazas (January, 27, 2027); Grammy Award-winning graphic designer Brent David Freaney (February 24, 2027); art director and creative director of Byline Madeline Montoya (March 24, 2027); The Metropolitan Museum of Art director of design and former Cooper Union faculty Alicia Cheng (April 14, 2027); and design writer, educator, Cooper alumna, and the Lubalin Center’s first founding curator Ellen Lupton (May 5, 2027). 

Lectures will be held in The Cooper Union Frederick P. Rose Auditorium, and registration details will be available in late August. As graphic design continues to evolve across digital platforms, artificial intelligence, publishing, and new forms of visual communication, the Herb Lubalin Study Center remains committed to preserving the artifacts—and the conversations—that define each generation.