Lisa Frank Explained

Lisa Frank should not be confused with Lisl Frank.

Lisa Frank
Nationality:American
Known For:Lisa Frank Incorporated
Children:2

Lisa Frank (born 1955) is an American artist and businesswoman, the founder of Lisa Frank Incorporated, headquartered in Tucson, Arizona. She is known for producing whimsical commercial design for school supplies and other products that are primarily marketed to children and young adolescents. Her designs were popular in the 1980s and 1990s and experienced a resurgence in popularity in the 2010s and 2020s.

Early life and education

Frank's father was an art collector and introduced her to the work of such Pop Art artists as Peter Max. Frank is a 1972 graduate of the Cranbrook Kingswood School,[1] [2] a preparatory school in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.[3] She attended the University of Arizona.[4]

Lisa Frank Incorporated

See main article: Lisa Frank Incorporated. After moving from the Detroit, Michigan, area to Tucson, Arizona, in the 1970s to study art at the University of Arizona, she founded the children's jewelry company Sticky Fingers, operating at first from a guest house in Frank's back yard, which became Lisa Frank Inc. circa 1979 when she was 24.[5] [6] [7] She continued to lead it as of 2019. As of 2021 Frank's son, Forrest Green, was the company's director of business development and partnerships.[8]

Designs

Frank's artwork features rainbow and neon colors and stylized depictions of animals, including dolphins, pandas, and unicorns.[9] In the 1980s and 1990s, her designs were used on school supplies products such as lunchboxes and Trapper Keepers and for other products such as toys and stickers.[10] Her designs were popular among elementary and middle school-aged girls.[11] In 2011, they were used for a colorful line of clothing.

Frank's designs experienced a resurgence of popularity in the late 2010s and early 2020s during a wave of nostalgia for the 80s and 90s.[12] [13]

Collaborations

In the late 2010s and early 2020s, during a wave of nostalgia for the 80s and 90s, Frank's designs experienced a resurgence in popularity and several collaborations were developed featuring her artwork. Frank partnered with Reebok to release two versions of limited-release Reebok Classic Leathers shoes in 2017 featuring her designs.[14] In 2017, Frank was partnering with producer Jon Shestack to develop a movie inspired by her work.[15] In 2019, she designed the logo for John Mayer's Instagram television series, Current Mood.[16] [17] In 2023 she collaborated with Crocs on a line of platform clogs and with Evite on a line of digital invitations.[18]

Personal life

Frank is "notoriously private."[19] [20] In a 2012 interview video with Urban Outfitters, the company agreed to obscure her face.[21]

In 1994, Frank married James A. Green, who from 1990 to October 2005 was president and chief executive officer of Lisa Frank Incorporated. They had sons born in 1995 and 1999.[22] Frank filed for divorce in September 2005. That same month, she sued to remove Green from the company, and he resigned the following month.[23] The court agreed to assign control of the company to Lisa Frank.[24]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Mark . Carly . Lisa Frank, CEO, Gets Frank About Lisa Frank, The Brand . 2024-05-01 . . en.
  2. Web site: Style Magazine Celebrates Six Cranbrook Kingswood Graduates . https://archive.today/20121214160647/http://schools.cranbrook.edu/podium/default.aspx?t=204&tn=%3CI%3EStyle+Magazine%3C/I%3E+Celebrates+Six+Cranbrook+Kingswood+Graduates&nid=423528&ptid=110057&sdb=True&pf=pgrw&mode=0&vcm=False&rc=0 . dead . December 14, 2012 . Cranbrook Schools . July 29, 2003 . May 20, 2012. ...designer Lisa Frank ('72).
  3. Web site: Mark. Carly. Lisa Frank on Lisa Frank. Foundations Magazine. September 1, 2015. March 3, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20150831001100/http://www.foundationsmag.us/features/2015/8/27/lisa-frank-on-lisa-frank. August 31, 2015. dead.
  4. News: Egan Morrissey . Tracie . December 12, 2013 . Inside the Rainbow Gulag: The Technicolor Rise and Fall of Lisa Frank . April 18, 2023 . Jezebel.
  5. News: Tucson's Lisa Frank sues to protect her empire of rainbow unicorns, surfing dolphins. Curt. Prendergast. Arizona Daily Star. Tucson, Arizona. May 18, 2018. May 10, 2020. May 10, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200510223844/https://tucson.com/news/local/tucsons-lisa-frank-sues-to-protect-her-empire-of-rainbow-unicorns-surfing-dolphins/article_fad5698d-8792-5a4a-a902-5da47baca992.html. live.
  6. News: David. Wichner. Girls' crafts business founders file for divorce; control of company in limbo. Arizona Daily Star. Tucson, Arizona. October 1, 2005.
  7. Web site: 2012-07-30 . Lisa Frank Speaks: The Woman Behind The Day Glo Dolphins . 2024-05-01 . . en.
  8. Web site: Leach . Samantha . 2024-02-20 . Inside The Fiercely Private, Celebrity-Filled World Of Lisa Frank And Her Son Forrest Green . 2024-05-01 . . en.
  9. Web site: Hamlin . Jessica . 2019-11-12 . My Stay At The Lisa Frank Flat Was All Rainbows, Unicorns And... Controversy . 2024-05-01 . . en.
  10. Web site: Bent . Gala . Interview With Cindy Hinant . Asthmatic Kitty Records . November 19, 2014 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20141129102430/http://sidebar.asthmatickitty.com/archives/913 . November 29, 2014 .
  11. News: What ever happened to Lisa Frank . The Spectator . University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire . February 16, 2012 . May 20, 2012 . Soldner. Anna. May 10, 2020. https://archive.today/20200510224831/https://www.spectatornews.com/currents/2012/02/what-ever-happened-to-lisa-frank/ . live.
  12. Web site: Masunga . Samantha . 2023-09-21 . Lisa Frank, My Little Pony, Caboodles. The ’90s called, and they're coming for your kids . 2024-05-01 . . en-US.
  13. Web site: Royce . Aaron . 2023-10-12 . Crocs and Lisa Frank’s New Collaboration Brings Y2K Sparkle to Chunky Platform Clogs . 2024-05-01 . . en-US.
  14. Web site: Your sneaker game is about to improve drastically thanks to this Lisa Frank and Reebok collaboration. Tesema. Martha. 30 August 2017 . Mashable. March 4, 2018. en. May 5, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200505080124/https://mashable.com/2017/08/30/lisa-frank-reebok/. live.
  15. Lisa Frank Movie in the Works With 'Air Force One' Producer. Entertainment Weekly. March 3, 2018. en. March 4, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180304172342/http://ew.com/movies/2017/01/18/lisa-frank-movie-development-jon-shestack/. live.
  16. Web site: Frank . Lisa . #LisaFrank x John Mayer . FaceBook . 11 June 2024 . en.
  17. Web site: Zlotnick . Robin . John Mayer Has an Instagram Talk Show Called 'Current Mood' and It's Kind of Adorable . Distractify . 11 June 2024 . 23 December 2019.
  18. Web site: 2023-07-24 . Evite Collaborates with Lisa Frank on Party Invitations and Greeting Cards . 2024-05-01 . . en-US.
  19. The Second Coming of Lisa Frank. November 29, 2017. Rina. Raphael. Fast Company. March 3, 2018. en-US. January 22, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200122175257/https://www.fastcompany.com/40493102/the-second-coming-of-lisa-frank. live.
  20. Web site: Wells . Katherine . 2013-09-06 . Lisa Frank Is Real . 2024-05-01 . . en.
  21. Web site: The Colorful World of Lisa Frank Goes Silent. The New York Times Student Journalism Institute, Tucson, Arizona 2013 . University of Arizona. en-US. March 3, 2018. Arielle. Dollinger . 31 May 2013 . October 21, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20191021185109/http://tucson13.nytimes-institute.com/2013/05/30/the-colorful-world-of-lisa-frank-goes-silent/. live.
  22. Web site: The Real Story Behind Lisa Frank. Dec 13, 2013. September 21, 2023. August 24, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230824163619/https://www.tucsonweekly.com/TheRange/archives/2013/12/13/the-real-story-behind-lisa-frank. live.
  23. News: Ruling due in lawsuit: Lisa Frank vs. spouse. Scott . Simonson. Arizona Daily Star. Tucson, Arizona. January 24, 2006. May 7, 2020. May 7, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200507191111/https://tucson.com/business/ruling-due-in-lawsuit-lisa-frank-vs-spouse/article_77624b33-f0a5-50e4-aba1-ad3bdf3de677.html. live.
  24. News: Control of girl-focused company decided . The Associated Press State & Local Wire . October 21, 2005.

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