Robert E. Vogele, of Burr Ridge, IL, passed away on Friday, August 3, 2018. He was 89. He was born in Chicago on September 28, 1928 to Violet and Albert Vogele.
Do a quick online search for designer Robert Vogele and terms like “local legend” and “internationally recognized” will appear.
Bob and his wife Ruth moved to Burr Ridge, Illinois, in 2006 after 50 years in Western Springs, Illinois. Bob is considered a pioneer in the field of strategic design. In 2012 he received the highest award in the field. Vogele was honored with the AIGA Medal from the American Institute of Graphic Arts, the professional association for design based in New York.
While both of the firms he founded – Robert Vogele Design, that became RVI Corporation, and VSA Partners, Inc. – focused on creating corporate strategic design programs, Bob became a consultant to businesses helping companies use design as a management tool.
“My role has always been to manage and grow our design consultancy and mentor the staff who creatively service the clients and actually create financial success for the firm and the client,” he said.
Bob is respected for sharing his philosophy of design’s role in business with individuals who are now running his former company and with many who have gone on to start their own consulting design firms.
When Bob started in design the tools of the trade were X-Acto knives, wax machines and typesetters. “The tools have changed,” said Bob, “but my belief of design as a function of management has remained constant.”
RVI Corporation, founded in 1958, grew to be one of the most respected corporate design consultancies. In 1982, he founded VSA Partners; a strategic corporate design agency that today lists IBM, Nike, Harley-Davidson, Google, Sappi, CME and GE among its many clients. VSA has offices in Chicago, New York and San Francisco with a combined staff of over 200 associates.
The initials VSA represent Vogele and his former partner Ted Stoik and partner Dana Arnett. Bob said the letters have a second, perhaps more important, meaning. “In strategic design you start with the Vision of the client, develop a Strategy with client top management, and then put the plan into Action,” he said.
Richard Grefe, former AIGA executive director, said in presenting Vogele’s Medal award, “Mr. Vogele’s contribution to this vital profession has been stunning and probably far more influential than you will ever imagine. He has during all of his career been first and foremost a mentor who for over 60 years advocated design as a function of management.”
With his wife Ruth, Bob devoted much of his adult life to supporting the arts, including donating countless works to museums and universities across the nation. He supported many individual artists by encouraging them and counseling them about ways to refine their art, as well as supporting their shows and exhibitions. As a collector, he took the rather unusual approach of getting to know the artists personally, spending time in their studios in New York, New Mexican pueblos and small communities in Appalachia. He was active in his church, using his design skills to create the church’s logo, serving as Moderator, enjoying the fellowship and discussions of the men’s group, and being an active leader in the Chicago Renewal Society. He worked with the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) during the 1960s and 1970s. An avid fisherman, Bob enjoyed any day on the water spent with his children, grandchildren and even great grandchildren.
He is survived by his beloved wife of 65 years Ruth Gorman Vogele; his children and their spouses Tom and Jennifer Vogele (of Carmel, CA), Mark and Lisa Vogele (of Carbondale, CO), Bruce and Tammy Vogele (of LaGrange, IL) and Nancy Vogele and Lynn Feenan (of Manchester, NH); his grandchildren, Britta, Margit, Patrick, Taylor, Ross, Adam, Felix, Mikkel, Lucas, Alex, Ariel, and Lily; and his great-grandchildren, Maddox, Bo, Warren, Jude, Aidan, Olivia, Amelie, and Link.
A memorial service will be held on Saturday, August 11th at 2pm at the First Congregational Church of Western Springs, IL. A reception will immediately follow the service. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the First Congregational Church, 1106 Chestnut Street, Western Springs, IL 60558.
A celebration of Bob’s life and accomplishments in design is being planned for a later date by VSA Partners. Details are forthcoming.

Arrangements entrusted to Hallowell & James Funeral Home: (708) 352-6500

 

 

Photo: Eric Herzog