021. Susan Skarsgard: On Calligraphy, Cars, and Designing Your Career

Hear how Susan Skarsgard built her career from calligraphy to founding the GM Design Archive, blending art, design, and education to leave her mark on both the art and automotive worlds.

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About Susan

Susan Skarsgard (b. 1954) is a designer, artist, and author whose career bridges the worlds of fine art and industrial design. With roots in Detroit, Susan’s passion for calligraphy led her to study under Austrian master calligrapher Friedrich Neugebauer and to apprentice with legendary Detroit lettering master Jerry Campbell. Under Campbells' tutelage, she designed logos and lettering for advertising and automotive clients before ultimately joining General Motors Design in 1995. She earned her MFA from the University of Michigan in 2004. 

At GM, she initially applied her skills to emblem and nameplate design for cars and trucks, but her most lasting legacy was founding the department GM Design Archive & Special Collections, which is the official repository for the history of design at General Motors. Susan is also the author of Where Today Meets Tomorrow, the definitive book on the history of the iconic GM Technical Center designed by Eero Saarinen.

Her journey as a woman navigating a male-dominated industry, along with her stunning work in calligraphy and book arts, is truly inspiring. 
 

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