Many designers believe that good design should not call attention to itself. That does not mean, however, that the talent and impact of influential designers and design educators should not be acknowledged and appreciated, and their legacies preserved. From October 7 to December 13, 2024, Ohio State’s Department of Design will do just that. Past and current faculty members and dedicated alumni will honor the significant contributions of the late visual communication designer and professor Peter Megert (1937–2022) with an exhibition of his work, to be held in the Hopkins Hall Gallery on Ohio State’s Columbus campus. A celebration event to honor Peter’s impact will be held Saturday, October 19, 2024. All alumni and friends of the department are encouraged to attend.

Peter Megert’s design career began in Switzerland—his beloved homeland that provided his thick Swiss accent and strong design sensibility. His early career included establishing Studio M in Berne before spending two years as a senior graphic designer at the Westinghouse Corporate Design Center working with legendary American designer Paul Rand. In 1970, Megert joined the faculty at Ohio State as the coordinator of the Visual Communication Design major. The department’s interdisciplinary approach to teaching design matched the approach Megert experienced at Westinghouse and his own educational and early professional experiences. He went on to become one of the Department of Design’s most influential faculty members, teaching for fifteen years before establishing Visual Syntax Design, Inc. in Columbus, Ohio. 

The exhibition will explore each of these phases of Megert’s career using never-before-seen physical artifacts and graphics from the Megert archive, along with examples of ceramic designs by Ursula Megert, Peter’s constant companion and supportive partner.

In 2022, after Peter and Ursula Megert died, a team of friends and designers who knew them well collected and preserved the tangible works that represent each phase of Peter’s long international career. Conducting extensive interviews with former colleagues, designers, and students yielded comments about Megert’s importance as a designer and educator. The exhibition aims to share insights revealing the impact of Peter’s modernist Swiss education and early practices on the philosophies that later grounded him as a professor and designer. 

The design of the exhibition invokes Swiss design principles, familiarizing visitors with that important approach. The archive and reminiscences echo the importance that wit and humor played in the Megerts’ approach to their lives. Viewing personal items from the design life that Ursula and Peter built together will invite visitors to reflect on the impact that both individuals had on the students and colleagues with whom they formed lasting relationships.