Marion Sampler
Marion Sampler (1920–1998) was an American designer and one of the first Black graphic designers to work in major commercial design firms. He was born in Anniston, Alabama; his father was a painter, and he began studying art in Cincinnati before moving to California. In California, he studied at Jepson Art Institute (1953), then at the California Institute of the Arts, and finally graduated from the University of Southern California in 1955. After college, he taught art at Fremont High School in Los Angeles while also pursuing work in design.
In 1956, Sampler joined a mentoring group created by Saul Bass and others to help people of color enter graphic design. He also joined the Los Angeles County Museum of Art’s design and typography program that year. In 1957, he was hired by Victor Gruen and Associates, becoming one of the first Black graphic designers at a major Los Angeles design or architecture firm. He was promoted to head of the graphic design department in 1963 and held that position for about 20 years.
In 1973, Gruen & Associates helped design South Coast Plaza in Orange County, California. Sampler designed the mall’s distinctive glass-domed skylight and also worked on its identity, including environmental graphics, logos, and tile walls. In the mid-1980s he left the firm and started Anita Berry and Marion Sampler Design with Anita Berry, later also painting.
Sampler was known for bright geometric shapes arranged in tight grid-like layouts, with a fondness for triangles and bold colors. He drew inspiration from Southern Black quilt makers, especially their bird-of-flight patterns. After his death, his work was largely forgotten, though he was recognized during his lifetime in Los Angeles and New York design circles. Some of his work is in museum collections, including the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the California African American Museum, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 08:01 (CET).