Seminal Woman Package Designer in the Manhattan Mad Men Era, 1960s ~1980s
MAY BENDER ART·SATURDAY, APRIL 18, 2020·
May Bender was a seminal woman designer in the package design world of Manhattan from the 1940’s through the 1980s. She, with her staff, designed many packages and promotional displays for major companies including Krugerrand, Conair, Glemby, Helena Rubenstein, Warner Lambert and Loft
candies. Sculpted clay product models and beautiful drawings with hand lettered font choices in various sizes and colors were sent to casting companies and printers to create prototypes to present to clients. All of this was done prior to the age of computers. May Bender was one of the very few women who played a major role in the package design industry in the Mad Men era. The competition was fierce, and she worked very hard to garner commissions awarded so easily to the men in the industry. May was president of the Package Design Council and was awarded a Clio for her work, amongst many other awards. May began her career in the 1930’s, working for her brother, Mike Kaplan, who produced tins for candy and edibles. In the 1950’s, she formed a corporation with Ray Lane, in Manhattan. After leaving an unhappy liaison, she worked for Warner Lambert Pharmaceuticals in New Jersey for several years before returning to Manhattan to start her own business, MBID (May Bender Industrial Design). Her first office was located on 47th Street and Second Avenue in Manhattan. In the 1990s, she renovated a loft on West 30th Street and moved her business there. Computers changed the landscape, and May was not interested in the new technology. She kept connection with her creative handwork, and moved towards a career in painting, something she had pursued on the side throughout her career.
