Steven Skaggs

Steven Skaggs is a design theorist and typographer. In the early 1990s, he founded the first internet discussion groups devoted to typography and semiotics. For many years he headed the Graphic Design Program at the Hite Institute of the University of Louisville. He’s the author of three books. His first, Logos: The Development of Visual Symbols (Crisp, 1994) is now out of print but can be found second-hand. FireSigns: A Semiotic Theory for Graphic Design (MIT Press, 2017) offers a technical and useful theory for creation and analysis of graphics. It won an Outstanding Academic Title (OAT) award from the Association of College and Research Libraries. The Hidden Factor (MIT Press, 2023), written for a more general audience, explores the often-overlooked importance of marks in the visual arts and design.