[at the sea ranch] barbara stauffacher solomon painted supergraphics on the monochrome interiors: numbers, stripes, dots, and arrows, adding a layer of pop iconography within the still-sober weathered form. the combination of timelessness and whimsy, landscape form and antic decoration, made the sea ranch highly photogenic and instantly influential. —alexandra lange, architecture and design critic

Interior of the Sea Ranch Athletic Club with supergraphics on the walls

Interior of the Sea Ranch Athletic Club, with architecture by Barbara Stauffacher Solomon. Jim Alinder/Princeton Architectural Press.

returning to USA

When Barbara learned John F. Kennedy was going to run for president, she decided to return to the United States to try to improve the world with design. However, after coming back she realized the style that she’d learned from Hoffman was very different from the hippie wavelength of current art in San Francisco. Her designs were even sometimes called “Nazi Graphics,” in sharp contrast to typical San Francisco design of the 1960’s, which she characterized as “wiggles and squiggles.”

Supergraphics sketches by Barbara Stauffacher Solomon.

Some typographic elements
Some typographic elements
Some typographic elements
Some typographic elements
Some typographic elements
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