Will Burtin letterhead (Letter to Alvin Lustig)

Will Burtin was an American designer and infographics pioneer whose work synthesized scientific visualization, modernist typography, and spatial design. Active from the 1940s through the 1970s, he developed innovative methods for translating complex data into accessible visual form, particularly in pharmaceutical and medical contexts. His large-scale installations and exhibitions combined photography, diagrammatic systems, and three-dimensional structures to communicate information across disciplines. Burtin's approach established foundational practices in information design that remain influential in contemporary data visualization.