Doyald Young, 1926–2011 March 2, 2011

It is with deep sadness that we report of the passing of Doyald Young, beloved teacher, lettering and logotype designer, friend and mentor. Young passed away today due to complications following a recent heart operation. He graduated from Art Center with a degree in Advertising in 1955.

Art Center received the following message the morning of March 1, 2011 from Jim Whitney, Doyald’s life partner.

Doyald Young, Teacher and Friend:

Doyald knew going into the heart operation that he was not the ideal candidate for several reasons:

• During WWII he tried to join the army and was rejected due to asthma
• He was a heavy smoker up until age 50, and the combination of these left him with irreparable lung damage and difficulty breathing
• Several silent heart attacks over the last few years left him with a damaged mitral valve and six stints
• Stomach bleeding problems also prevented him from using Plavix (the normal anti-clotting agent used to prevent plaque buildup on the stints).

At any rate, Doyald decided to go ahead with the operation to repair the valve along with a quadruple bypass, because he had so little breath that some nights he literally could not sleep due to the effort required to consciously focus on breathing.

Unfortunately, the gamble did not pay off as we all hoped it would. Doyald passed away today due to complications of the operation, primarily due to liver damage, but also complete failure of the kidneys complicated the recovery process.

His wishes were to be cremated. There will be a memorial service planned for a later date. I will send details as soon as plans are finalized.

Doyald would want all of you to know how much he appreciated your love and support in this difficult time. We all feel the tremendous loss of a brilliant and wonderful human being.

Doyald’s life and work touched designers around the world, including AIGA Minnesota members who saw Doyald speak at Design Camp® in 2010 and Luncheons in 2004. His legacy and inspiration will live forever.