Above my desk hangs my favorite poster; Peter Max’s visual manifestation of Yellow Submarine. The moment I first saw this poster I was stunned by the artist’s creativity, especially his sublime use of color. It is a technique few can imitate but many are inspired by, but it is also a perfect example of how an advertising poster can function commercially and as a piece of art.

An artist with a truly worldly education, German born Peter Max observed Buddhist monks practice calligraphy in China, was tutored by the Viennese painter Honick in Israel, took art classes at the Louvre in Paris, and studied at the Art Students League of New York in Manhattan.His psychedelic style that formed in the 1960s and continued into later decades has inspired my own art to take on an expressive and experimental form.It hangs above my desk as both a homage to a great artist and as inspiration, but it is also a humbling reminder of my own graphic design roots.