Design Community Mourns Sudden Loss of John Fling

John Fling, vice president, package design worldwide for Estée Lauder, died suddenly on July 27 after a brief illness. Fling, 52, passed away at his home in Jackson Heights, N.Y. He had been with the Estée Lauder Companies since 1995. Prior to that he was a leading designer at Tiffany and Co. for 18 years, rising to the position of director of product design. A 1973 graduate of the University of South Florida in fine arts and art history, he pursued graduate studies in communications design at Pratt Institute in New York City.

Janet Cook, President, Estée Lauder North America, remembers Fling's contributions: "John was particularly gifted in capturing the style and sophistication of the brand in its product design. He was an inspiring colleague—and a wonderful friend—to all of us who worked with him. He will be remembered for his gentle nature, professionalism, and passion for excellence." At Estée Lauder, Fling's work garnered several notable awards for design excellence, and he led the development of packaging for "Beyond Paradise" fragrances, among other popular beauty products.

Interviewed in the July/August issue of Package Design for a profile of the Estée Lauder design team, Fling shared his insight: "First and foremost, a good package designer will have a well-trained eye, an unwavering enthusiasm for one's work and the ability to be a highly creative problem solver," Fling said. "A good designer always needs to be grounded in the parameters of the potentials and the limitations of any project."

Fling is survived by a brother, Edward Fling, of Panama City Beach, Fla., a sister-in-law, Ann, and their two children.