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The Gene Federico Papers span the years 1918-2003, with the bulk of the collection dating 1951-1991. The collection documents Federico's sixty years as a pioneering leader in advertising and graphic design, and contains materials from a variety of formats, including correspondence, writings, advertisements proofs and clippings, graphic design and printed materials, posters, sketches/sketchbooks, photographs, negatives, and videotapes. In addition to limited personal and biographical material, the collection primarily documents Federico's creative output as a graphic designer, art director, and advertising executive at agencies including Grey Advertising, Doyle Dane Bernbach, Douglas D. Simon, Benton & Bowles, Warwick & Legler, and as a principal at Lord Geller Federico Einstein; the collection has limited material relating to the specific agencies for which he worked. The collection also documents Federico's extensive freelance and exhibition work throughout his career (most notably the "Love of Apples" and "24-Page Book" designs), in addition to his later consulting work for Brouillard Communications. Client advertisements and graphic design materials compose the majority of the collection. Significant clients represented include: Christian Dior; Elektra Records; Elizabeth Arden; Goldman Sachs; IBM; L'Aiglon Apparel; Lady Pepperell; Napier; The New Yorker; and Woman's Day. Though an art director throughout most of his career, Federico contributed significantly to the graphic design and typographical components of advertising. Through clear and innovative integration of design and typographical components, Federico pioneered the use of visual puns in advertisements, and emphasized clarity of message over design complexity. The collection will be of particular value to researchers interested in developments in print advertising and typographical design since World War II. The collection is organized into six series which focus on Federico's contributions to advertising and graphic design: Professional Files, Personal Files, Graphic Design, Advertising Campaigns, Photographs and Negatives, and Videocassettes.

Collection spans 1840-1986 and includes newspaper and magazine clippings and tear sheets, catalogs, ephemera, memorabilia, and other printed material primarily from the U.S., Great Britain, and France. Advertisements represent products and services from a wide range of categories including alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, businesses, cosmetics and other health and beauty products, fashion (including clothing, jewelry and watches), food, hotels and other tourist and travel destinations, household products, movies and theater events, tobacco products (primarily cigarettes) and transportation (airlines, automobiles, buses, cruise lines, trains, tires and other automotive accessories). The bulk of materials are in English, but French, Greek, and Spanish-language items are also present. Companies represented include Ford, Packard, Chrysler, Chevrolet, Coca Cola, TWA, Henri Bendel, Goodyear, and DeBeers. Non-advertising related materials include sheet music from the vaudeville, ragtime, and minstrel era; World War I; and depictions of African Americans, Native American, and other ethnicities in advertisements and print media. Acquired as part of the John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History.