Sylvia Harris (1953-2011) was renowned for her steadfast commitment to helping others. Growing up in Richmond, VA, Harris personally witnessed the desegregation movements of the 1960s, which inspired her interest in social systems and their impact. She earned a BFA from Virginia Commonwealth University before relocating to Boston, where she collaborated with diverse creative professionals. It was while working with WGBH and Chris Pullman that Harris discovered the breadth and depth of the design field, prompting her mentor to encourage her enrollment in Yale’s Masters in Graphic Design program.

After graduating in 1980, Harris co-founded Two Twelve Associates with two of her classmates, where she honed her abilities to create large-scale public information systems. Her work with Citibank established an early precedent for human-centered automated customer service. In 1994, Harris left Two Twelve to establish Sylvia Harris LLC, focusing more on design planning and strategies. She guided some of the largest public institutions, hospitals, and universities with systems planning, and as creative director for the US Census Bureau’s Census 2000, Harris’ rebranding efforts encouraged previously under-represented citizens to participate.