Malcolm Grear played a vital role as designer and educator in the field of visual communication design for fifty-five years. He taught in the Rhode Island School of Design’s graphic design department from 1960 to 1998, serving as its chairman from 1965 through 1969. He received the prestigious John R. Frazier Award for Excellence in Teaching in 1986 and in 1988 was awarded the Helen M. Danforth Chaired Professorship. In 1989, the Alumni Council selected Mr. Grear for the Honorary Alumnus Award for “...professional achievements as an internationally acclaimed graphic designer (that) brought overwhelming recognition to RISD’s Department of Graphic Design and its graduates.” In 2012,RISDestablished the Malcolm Grear Endowed Scholarship Fund in honor and recognition of his impact on the many generations of RISD students.

The Malcolm Grear Archive in the RISD Library is comprised of over 480 books, pamphlets, annual reports, letterheads and logos, including work done for the RISD Museum, the Guggenheim, and educational textbook publishers.