Biography

February 24, 1961 · San Diego, California, USA

April 18, 2012 · Brooklyn, New York, USA (colon cancer)

David Hillman Curtis

He is survived by his wife, Christina Curtis of Brooklyn, New York; mother, Susan Zimmerman; a son, Jasper Curtis; daughter Tess Curtis; sisters Madeleine Curtis and Rebecca Curtis-Cassacia.

He was born in the La Jolla section of San Diego, California. He and his two sisters were raised by their mother, Susan, and stepfather Paul Zimmerman, both high school teachers. He studied at San Francisco State University in San Francisco, California where he joined the rock group, The Green Things. On tour, he learned about art and design drawing posters and fliers for the band. After they split, he took classes in Photoshop. He was in his 30s when he was hired for an entry low level position at Macromedia and later became Art director.

Nephew of Chris Hillman, an original member of the Byrds. He had played in a rock band in the 1980s and early 1990s before turning to web design.

I originally went to school for creative writing and film. I then spent 10 years pursuing music, and after failing at that, I did various random jobs. I got into design out of desperation--I didn't want to wait tables or pound nails.

The reason for designing new media is simple-to subtly and quietly change the world.