Skip to content
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • PodBean
  • Subscribe To The My Pal Sammy Newsletter
  • ABOUT
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms

My Summer Lair

Think NPR's Fresh Air meets Kevin Smith: My Summer Lair with host Sammy Younan: interviews & impressions on Pop Culture.

  • Home
  • Podcast
    • My Summer Lair
    • Space Station Oddity
  • Set The VCR
  • New Book Alert
  • True Sammy Stories
  • Toggle search form
Emily Oberman (Pentagram & DC Entertainment)

077 | Emily Oberman (Pentagram & DC Entertainment)

Posted on April 10, 2018March 5, 2023 By Sammy Younan No Comments on 077 | Emily Oberman (Pentagram & DC Entertainment)

My Summer Lair Chapter #77: Do You Look Back?

So…I made 2 fascinating mistakes with this interview with Pentagram’s multidisciplinary designer and strategist Emily Oberman.

Typically when you do an interview its focus is the creator’s latest project. If I’m sitting down with Steven Spielberg it’s to talk about Ready Player One.

That’s what generated my interview request; that’s why I am taking up his time to talk about a project instead of him working on a new project. As such it’s weird if I suddenly ask him about War of the Worlds, say. (Doubly weird as I did not enjoy the movie.) That’s the first mistake I made.

The second mistake was I guess I assumed everybody is like me. I can’t stand looking back. The constant analogy I use is why put out a greatest hits album…keep making new music. Forget the past; let’s focus on the new. You don’t get into a new relationship and keep thinking about a past love do you? Don’t answer that!

It turns out I was wrong: Emily Oberman was not only happy to talk about past work; she expected me to. And was proud of the work she’s done as it informs her present and future work. Oh. That makes sense.

As it says in her FITC bio: “Emily’s work is unique in that it blurs the line between promotion and design—often using language and humor to make an emotional connection.” That blurred line is what drew me to her work…that and that we all know so much of her work.

Ready? At M&Co. collaborating with Tibor Kalman on Colours then at Project Seventeen working on Sex and The City. She left both firms and now…this is where it gets interesting. From her Pentagram page blurb:

“Clients and projects include NBC Universal, including brand identities for 30 Rock, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and Saturday Night Live, for whom she has designed the opening title sequence for 19 years, as well as a visual history published by Taschen; strategy and branding for DC Entertainment and the Justice League film; strategy and branding for Film Independent; branding for the LA Film Festival; identity and show packaging for the Film Independent Spirit Awards; strategy and branding for the Minneapolis Institute of Arts (Mia); branding and signage for Hudson River Park in New York; branding and opening sequences for Tina Fey’s Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and Tracey Wigfield’s Great News; identities for JK Rowling’s Wizarding World and the films Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and The Crimes of Grindelwald; and the identity for Steven Spielberg‘s adaptation of Ready Player One.

Whew.

I guess I can see why she’d want to talk about all this. Ok lesson learned. Sometimes people wanna go back.

Emily Oberman @ W • T • F

Host Sammy Younan

Recorded: Monday April 9, 2018 at 5:00 pm (at FITC)

Stress free pop culture tastefully harvested for your divine delight. Once a week a carefully curated edition of My Pal Sammy goes directly to your inbox. Sign up for my newsletter so we can have some fun…it’s No.1 witha a (DC Comics) bullet!

My Summer Lair, Podcast Tags:DC Comics, DC Films, Design, Designer, Emily Oberman, Movies

Post navigation

Previous Post: 076 | Charles Soule (The Oracle Year)
Next Post: 078 | Graham McDonnell (T Brand Studio)

More Related Articles

My Summer Lair host Sammy Younan talks to filmmaker Pat Mills about his movie Guidance premiering at TIFF 2014. 004 | Pat Mills (Guidance) My Summer Lair
Brian Jay Jones (Becoming Dr. Seuss) My Summer Lair 117 117 | Brian Jay Jones (Becoming Dr. Seuss) My Summer Lair
035 | Ryan Kipp (Cabin) My Summer Lair
021 | Lana Gay (A Good Book Drive) My Summer Lair
Mike Ayley aka MIKEH (Golden Hour: First Things First) 205 | Mike Ayley aka MIKEH (Golden Hour: First Things First) My Summer Lair
236 | Rob Freeman (Drop The Needle) My Summer Lair

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  • #SetTheVCR: May 29 – June 04, 2023
    by Sammy Younan
    Wanna Manifest some excellent TV week? Then #SetTheVVCR we got Tough Love to TLC.
  • #SetTheVCR: May 22 – 28, 2023
    by Sammy Younan
    This week prepare: TV & #SetTheVCR are taking it to the #Max. If you're SmartLess about what to watch - perhaps your week has gone all #FUBAR - then you'll enjoy all these suggestions and puns so much Moore.
  • #SetTheVCR: May 15 – 21, 2023
    by Sammy Younan
    Did you hear the one about a Black Knight and an Ant-Man who were Missing? Why yes it's #SetTheVCR where it's all Love To Love You when it comes to TV.
  • #SetTheVCR: May 08 – 14, 2023
    by Sammy Younan
    A Time Traveler, A Man Who Can Fly, A Shapeshifter plus…lots more. Clearly it can only be #SetTheVCR.
  • #SetTheVCR: May 01 – 07, 2023
    by Sammy Younan
    This week there's Bupkis on TV! So break outta your Silo and lean back in your White House; I'm Sheeran lots of #SetTheVCR recommendations. Guess How Much? Free…love!
  • #SetTheVCR: April 24 – 30, 2023
    by Sammy Younan
    Citadel on the couch as it's a fresh #SetTheVCR where we say goodbye to James Corden and David Bowie but say hello to lots of new TV.
  • #SetTheVCR: April 17 – 23, 2023
    by Sammy Younan
    Anybody who has been Ghosted with enjoy this week's #SetTheVCR: From Tupac to Duran Duran. So Scrap your plans; no need to be a Diplomat and Bring It On!
  • #SetTheVCR: April 10 – 16, 2023
    by Sammy Younan
    It's a TV week of Titans as the NBA Playoffs tip-off. There's Barry good TV recommendations so punch your Ticket to Paradise: It's #SetTheVCR.
  • #SetTheVCR: April 03 – 09, 2023
    by Sammy Younan
    From Beef to Beats to Babies to Boris Becker this week's #SetTheVCR is beautifully bodacious. Believe that!
  • #CouchWorthy: March 2023
    by Sammy Younan
    It’s hard to believe but we’re basically into April. Spring has sprung. However, before we leave March behind here are some TV highlights that are #CouchWorthy. Maybe you missed em or didn’t hear about em. What about something fresh? Or something different? Or fun! Then here ya go!
  • MSL Space Station Oddity: DCEU Is Pee-Ew | Batgirl vs HBO MaxAugust 5, 2022
    Sammy & Rob Gaudette discuss and review the status of the DCEU following the cancellation of Batgirl on HBO Max. Rob still has hope.
  • MSL Space Station Oddity: Contact Photography Festival 2022 | Culture SnapMay 12, 2022
    Sammy is joined by photographer Henry VanderSpek aka Culture Snap to discuss and recommend a happy handful of Contact Photography Festival exhibitions.
  • MSL Space Station Oddity: A Taylor Hawkins MemorialMarch 28, 2022
    Sammy & Stephanie discuss the shocking and sad passing of Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins on March 25, 2022.
  • MSL Space Station Oddity: All The Batmans | Keaton To Nipples to BatfleckMarch 10, 2022
    Sammy & Stephanie discuss All The Batmans: from Michael Keaton to Ben Affleck.
  • MSL Space Station Oddity: 2021 Induction Ceremony | Rock & Roll Hall of FameNovember 25, 2021
    Sammy & Stephanie discuss their happy highlights from the 2021 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony.

  • Yaron Weitzman (Tanking to the Top) and Sammy Younan in My Summer Lair 148
    Under-Review: Tanking to the Top: The Philadelphia 76ers
    by Sammy Younan
    Tanking to the Top: The Philadelphia 76ers and the Most Audacious Process in the History of Professional Sportsby Yaron WeitzmanPublished by Grand Central Publishing on March 17, 2020NBA // Non-Fiction // 76ers One of the best lines in Yaron Weitzman’s NBA book: “Hinkie triggered a culture war.” Tanking to the Top: The Philadelphia 76ers and...

    READ ON “Under-Review: Tanking to the Top: The Philadelphia 76ers” »

  • New Book Alert: January 10-14, 2022
    by Sammy Younan

    My weekly collection of new and notable books for your pop culture pleasure and edification: #ReadMoreTweetLess.

  • New Book Alert: January 3-7, 2022
    by Sammy Younan

    My weekly collection of new and notable books for your pop culture pleasure and edification: #ReadMoreTweetLess.

  • New Book Alert: November 8-12, 2021
    by Sammy Younan

    My weekly collection of new and notable books for your pop culture pleasure and edification: #ReadMoreTweetLess.

  • New Book Alert: November 1-5, 2021
    by Sammy Younan

    My weekly collection of new and notable books for your pop culture pleasure and edification: #ReadMoreTweetLess.

Copyright © 2023 My Summer Lair.

Powered by PressBook Premium theme