William Wondriska

Beloved Mid-century American Graphic Designer and Children’s Book Creator

William Wondriska was born on June 29, 1931, in Oak Park, Illinois. At the age of 22, he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Education from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

Wondriska continued his art education at Yale University—where he earned Bachelor and Master of Fine Arts degrees in Graphic Design. While at Yale, Wondriska was drafted by, and served in, the United States Army. After his service, mostly stationed in South Korea, he returned to Connecticut to teach at the Hartford Art School.

In 1961, at the age of 30, Wondriska founded Wondriska Associates, a design studio which would go on to create campaigns for corporations, non-profit organizations, and cultural institutions. Clients included Aetna, The Walt Disney Company, Children’s Television Workshop, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the National Gallery of Art, and Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts. Not only did the studio’s work earn them countless honors and awards, but the work is now part of the Library of Congress’s permanent collection.

While making a name for himself in advertising, the versatile Wondriska also created children’s books. Even though he “only” made eleven books, many of them have gone on to become beloved classics. They include The Sound of Things (Pantheon, 1958) and A Long Piece of String (Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1963).