David Carson: graphic designer, art director, and surfer. Born in 1955 in Texas, he has built a career as one of the most influential graphic designers of our time.
Carson’s first encounter with graphic design came in 1980, when he attended a two-week course taught by Jackson Boelts.
From 1982 to 1987, he worked as a teacher while also pursuing his passion for surfing—earning an impressive ninth place in the world rankings.
Surf and graphic design. Who said they couldn’t go hand in hand?
David Carson’s early work
Carson began experimenting with graphic design around 1983, all while immersed in the surf culture of Southern California—a major influence on his creative vision and approach to graphic design.
When he took on the role of art director at Transworld Skateboarding Magazine, a publication dedicated to skateboarding and its surrounding culture, he gave the magazine a bold and distinctive new look.
His time at Ray Gun
During his tenure at Ray Gun, which began in 1992, one standout moment was a wild interview he designed and laid out using the iconic Dingbat font. As many will remember from their school days and Wordpad, Dingbat is a typeface made up entirely of symbols. For those curious, a readable version of the interview was included at the back of the same issue.
David Carson Design
In 1995, David Carson founded his own graphic design studio in the vibrant city of New York. Attracting a wide range of clients from across the US—including major brands like Pepsi Cola, Ray Ban, Nike, and Microsoft—he cemented his reputation as one of the world’s leading graphic designers.
Selected works
David Carson’s style—then and now—has always been groundbreaking. Known for his unconventional use of typography and his embrace of the grunge aesthetic, he layered text, overlaid images, and broke all the rules. This fearless approach earned him the title of king of grunge design: a true trailblazer breaking the mold and always ahead of his time.
