Born in East Moline, Illinois in 1943, Lanny Sommese has been a member of the Penn State University faculty since 1970 and is currently an Emeritus Professor of Graphic Design. He is a graduate of the University of Florida where he received a BFA in painting and a Bachelor of Design Degree. He earned the MFA in Graphic Design at the University of Illinois. Additionally, Sommese is a Fellow of Penn State’s Institute for Arts and Humanities, an honorary member of The University and College Designers Association, a member of the Alliance Graphique Internationale, and was selected as the Fellow of the AIGA Philadelphia Chapter in 2010