Remembering Phil Meggs

Many years ago I was a brash transfer student to the VCU Comm Arts department, having bounced around from AD assistant job and back to school. My degree was to be a Bachelor of General Studies since I had wide-ranging interests in English, painting, and political science, but I was finally focusing on Graphic Design. Phil was the Chair of the department and decided he would be my advisor. His tolerance and patience allowed a wacky ADD student to thrive. I could take anything I wanted to! One day I said to Phil that I didn't have room in my schedule for his History of Graphic Design class because I wanted to take Integral Calculus so I could do Computer Graphics, but that I wanted to take the class anyway and I asked to audit the course. He smiled, said the course was full. I promised to not say a word, sit in the back, and be a good boy. He smiled again and simply said, "Not a word."...That was him --generous, a true scholar and one of the most important people in my life. He was and is an enduring influence on my work and love for design. Phil is greatly missed.

I had the honor of taking a Typography course from Phil (can't recall if it was Type II or III), recall especially one truly "Meggs" moment.

At the time, I was an older student, and showing up for class on-time was very important to me. There were, however, several others in the class who weren't always so punctual. This began to frustrate Phil (and most of the class), so one afternoon, as class started, he closed the classroom door and locked it. It was only a matter of moments before hearing the shuffle of the late students behind the door, jiggling the doorknob. Then they began to knock.

Phil smiled, putting a finger to his lips as he looked to all of us, and innocently responded, "Who is it?" The students of course stated their names. He giggled a bit as he opened the door, allowing the tardy students, humbled by the mild joke at their expense, to join the rest of the class. He didn't really say much more about it after that. Of course, he didn't have to; those tardy before were early or on time from that point on.

Some people may know Phil Meggs for his accomplishments in the professional arena of design, most others recognize him as the authority on graphic design history. While I learned about those sides of Phil, too, his generosity, compassion, and sense of humor are what I'll remember most of all.

David McIntosh, CA+D Class of 2000

What wonderful comments about Phil! I am sending them to our children, and printing them out to keep for myself. Being part of the AIGA's event last Thursday, honoring Phil and our recent book about him, "MEGGS: Making Graphic Design History," was a very healing, heartwarming experience. My heartfelt thanks to each of you for so honoring the person I love most in the world.

I had Phil for a professor every year of my VCU experience. He was soft spoken and very kind and humble. As others have said here he always had something good to say. He loved design and would immerse himself in the minutia of every single aspect of visual communication. I cherish the memories of those days. One time in Megank's Type III class, we were having a crit and a student was showing an event schedule done in 4 point type. Phil was on the other side of a partition working on his book. All we heard was "4 point type!" "I have never seen something set in 4 point type" "Do you mind if I take a look?" Phil was a great and humble man. I will always remember him fondly.
Scott Ridings CA+D Class of '91

What I remember the most about Phil Meggs was his uncanny ability to recall dates, facts and details about the arts, history, culture, people. To create stories that connected them all to us, his audience. His lecture classes were never boring. He worked without notes or if he had notes he didn't use them. Didn't need them. He taught us how design was a part of and was influenced by everything going on at the time. He made us believe in the power of visual communications by making it real. Making it connect. Making it part of history. Making it a part of our world and our future. Phill Meggs believed in the power of design and he believed in his students.

All three classes of the intro to communication design (sorry, I forget the exact name) were piled outside of the elevators on the fifth floor of Pollack. We were having a group critique and Malinoski was ripping us to shreds.

As soon as he said, "middle schoolers are making better art than this crap," the elevator bell chimed, and out walked Phil Meggs. He looked around and basically said, "Oh my, this is magnificent. You all must be so proud. It looks wonderful."

I immediately looked at Malinoski and his jaw was clenched tight. I swear I saw steam coming out of his ears.

We all graciously thanked Professor Meggs as he headed down the hall to his office. It took a few minutes for us to calm down, as you can imagine.

But that was Phil. He always had a kind word.

Phil's Type I class was my first class of the semester in the Communication Design program, and it was by far my favorite.

We were working in class on a grid study project. We cut out shapes from printouts of printed text. I got really into it and began doing a few extra grids. He walked around and picked up all the ones I had done. He carefully looked over them while I sat sweating. And then he looked down, smiled and said, "you should be a designer."

I will never forget that. He made me feel like I could do anything. He was always encouraging. His criticism was constructive, not condescending like some professors. He was inspiring. There wasn't another professor in the program that I was willing to do extra work for. Phil made me want to earn the "A" and I loved doing it.