JAN CUMMINGS GOOD is a designer
and illustrator, painter, printmaker. Originally from Chicago, she received a BFA in painting from the University of Connecticut in 1966, and in ‘83, studied intaglio printmaking at the Lyme Academy of Fine Arts. With her husband, Peter Good, Janet is a principal in the graphic design studio, Cummings & Good, which has consistently won recognition and awards in Connecticut and in the national and international graphic design community. Graphic Design: American Two, a ‘97 survey of the "best and brightest talent in the USA today,” contains a section on the Cummings & Good studio. The studio is also featured in Branding USA, a 2006 Graphis publication of design firms specializing in visual identities. And last year they were honored as “Design Legends” by the Connecticut AIGA (American Institute of Graphic Arts) and the CADC (Connecticut Art Directors Club).
Janet and Peter share a long history with the University of Connecticut, having met there while art students in the 60s. In ‘97 they were awarded the University’s highest honor, the University Medal, for “outstanding professional achievement, leadership and distinguished public service.” In ‘98, they completed a comprehensive identity for UConn—the
first ever in the history of the University. In ‘99 a Cummings & Good retrospective was on exhibit at The William Benton Museum of Art on the Storrs campus. And in ‘01 they developed a capital campaign identity and materials for the University, the School of Law, the School of Business, Athletics, and Alumni.
As a member of the University’s Leadership Council Steering Committee, Jan designed a poster featuring distinguished UConn Alumnae—Women Making a Difference. She also has designed and illustrated a USPS postal cachet celebrating the Connecticut Women’s Heritage Trail, sponsored by the Connecticut Women’s Hall of Fame.
Janet’s drawings, paintings and prints have been featured in solo exhibits and group invitationals for decades. Her work has been included in national group exhibitions and is published in numerous editions of art and design textbooks by Paul Zelanski and Mary Pat Fisher. The 2007 edition of The Art of Seeing features Jan’s digital print, Moth & Morning Glory, on the cover.
In 2008 Peter & Jan were honored as “Pillars of Chester” in acknowledgement of the “continuous dedication of their hearts, minds and energy to the betterment of the community.” Jan has for years been actively involved in Chester. Serving on the Planning & Zoning Commission for over 20 years, she worked on both the 1992 and the 2009 Plans of Conservation & Development. In 2005 she designed a comprehensive brochure for the town and she is now working on a 2010 edition.
Jan’s latest endeavor is C&G, a gallery/
boutique on the first floor of Peter and Jan’s landmark Greek Revival building in Chester. Opened in May 2007, C&G has become a welcome retreat from high fashion’s bright lights, loud colors and overbearing prints and prices. Those who love the subtle shades and textures of black, grey and brown have discovered a haven here. Also featured in the shop are Peter and Jan’s original prints, note cards and their annual calendar.
PETER GOOD is a graphic designer
and illustrator who is well known in Connecticut for the powerful images he has created for countless corporations, museums and arts organizations.
This work has consistently received awards from all the major graphic
design institutions in the United States, and is published in design periodicals throughout the world. With his wife,
Jan Cummings, he is a principal in Cummings & Good, based in Chester. Graphic Design: American Two, a 1997 survey of the “best and brightest talent
in the USA today,” contains a section on their graphic design studio. The studio
is also featured in Branding USA, a 2006
Graphis publication of design firms specializing in visual identities.
Peter’s posters have been included in the Warsaw Poster Biennial Exhibitions, the Lahti Poster Biennial Exhibitions in Finland and in the International Poster Triennials in Toyama, Japan. He is represented in the collections of the Cooper-Hewitt Museum; the Library of Congress; Die Neue Sammlung Museum in Munich, Germany; Museum of Modern Art in Toyama, Japan; and Museum
für Kunst und Gewerbe in Hamburg, Germany. Several Peter Good posters toured Russia as part of Design USA,
the United States Information Agency cultural exchange exhibition, and they travelled to Japan in an Exhibition of American and Soviet Posters.
The US Postal Service has issued six Peter Good stamp designs—four holiday stamps in ‘93 and a love and holiday stamp in ‘94. Millions of these popular stamps were sold throughout the United States. A founding member of the Connecticut Art Director’s Club, he received the Club’s Hall of Fame Award in ‘95. Previously, in ‘92, Peter was honored by the Connecticut Commission on the Arts with their award for lifetime achievement and generosity to the arts community of the state.
A 1965 graduate of the University of Connecticut, Peter has created some of their most distinctive graphics—a twenty-fifth anniversary poster for the School of Fine Arts, a symbol and poster for the Thomas J. Dodd Center’s year long symposium, Fifty Years After Nuremberg: Human Rights and the Rule of Law, and a capital campaign symbol and brochure for the Homer Babbidge Library. In ‘98, Cummings & Good completed a comprehensive identity system for UConn—the first ever in the history of the University.
In ‘97, Peter and Janet received the University Medal, the University of Connecticut’s highest honor, for “outstanding professional achievement, leadership and distinguished public service.” A survey of three decades of Cummings & Good work was featured
at the Dodd Center that year, and in ‘99
a major C&G retrospective was on exhibition at The William Benton Museum on the Storrs campus. This year, the Thomas J. Dodd Research Center Gallery exhibited "The Design of Time, Ten Years of C&G Calendars".
In 2009, Peter received the AIGA Fellowship Award.