As a graphic designer, Art Paul (1925-2018) has had an adventurous career as founding art director of Playboy magazine, designing its signature rabbit-head logo, mentoring artists and illustrators (especially from Chicago), leading a revolution in illustration toward more experimental and personal work, and eventually organizing exhibitions for the magazine.
Art Paul was born in Chicago, trained at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and at the Institute of Design—the “Chicago Bauhaus.” He started his career as a freelance designer and illustrator. In 1953, he designed the first issue of Playboy, and during the following three decades, took an adventurous, award-winning approach to editorial design and illustration. He retired from the magazine in 1982, and has focused entirely on drawing and painting for the past thirty-three years.