Newsletter
2 Minutes With ... Sagi Haviv of Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv
Adventures in design from Conservation International to Impossible Aerospace
Sagi Haviv is a partner and designer at Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv. Among the over 60 identity programs he has designed are those for Discovery Inc.’s online streaming service Discovery+, the United States Olympic & Paralympic Museum, the U.S. Open Tennis Championships, Leonard Bernstein at 100, Harvard University Press, Conservation International, and LA Reid’s Hitco Entertainment.
Sagi graduated from The Cooper Union School of Art in 2003. He joined the firm as an intern; became a partner in 2005; and in 2013 his name was added to the firm’s (at that time) 56-year-old masthead.
We spent two minutes with Sagi to learn more about his background, his creative inspirations, and recent work he’s admired.
Sagi, tell us…
Where you grew up, and where you live now.
I grew up on a kibbutz in Israel, and now live in the West Village in New York City.
How you first realized you were creative.
My parents always said “Sagi is creative.”
A person you idolized creatively early on.
French designer Philippe Apeloig.
A moment from high school or college that changed your life.
Philippe Apeloig’s typography class at Cooper Union made me want to become a designer.
A visual artist or band/musician you admire.
Sia.
A book, movie, TV show or podcast you recently found inspiring.
Your favorite fictional character.
Carrie Mathison in Homeland.
Someone or something worth following in social media.
I stay off social media.
How Covid-19 changed your life, personally or professionally.
Seeing a logo for the first time is tough for any client, so before Covid, I used to travel all over the world just for a two-hour presentation … now, even after the worst of the pandemic has passed for us here, we think twice before booking.
One of your favorite creative projects you’ve ever worked on.
Conservation International. This mark is so, so simple, and took a lot to be embraced by the client.
A recent project you’re proud of.
Impossible Aerospace because these guys do really cool things electrifying aviation.
Someone else’s work that inspired you years ago.
The scheisse.de billboard by Uwe Loesch.
Someone else’s work you admired lately.
The music video for “Good Song” by Blur.
Your main strength as a creative person.
Relentlessness.
Your biggest weakness.
Relentlessness.
One thing that always makes you happy.
Saying hi to a dog in the street.
One thing that always makes you sad.
Opinion polls.
What you’d be doing if you weren’t in graphic design.
Attorney.
2 Minutes With is our regular interview series where we chat with creatives about their backgrounds, creative inspirations, work they admire and more. For more about 2 Minutes With, or to be considered for the series, please get in touch.
Jessica MacAulay is a contributor for Muse by Clio. She's also a recent graduate of the University of Colorado Boulder's College of Media, Communication, and Information.
