Graphic Journey Blog

V&A British Design 1948 - 2012

Image showing part of the exhibition design by Ben Kelly RDI

For those keen followers of design history among you, the new V&A exhibition British Design 1948-2012: Innovation in the Modern Age is a must, even though there are some major omissions.

Better still is a special daylong event organised by the Society for Environmental Graphic Design on Friday April 27th.

Among lots of lovely activities yours truly, along with a band of merry designers, will be talking about classic British design.

Why not come along? To find out more about the day’s events and cost click here.

 

A question...

D&AD, one step forward, two steps back.

I went along to the D&AD annual launch recently and amidst the bustling twenty somethings was a large, wall-mounted diagram plotting the carbon footprint and the environmental credentials of the new annual. It was hailed as “most sustainably produced title to date. Its carbon footprint is 82% less than the 2010 edition.”

Very good I thought, as I had been an outspoken critic of last year’s annual.

Driving back home I thought well, at last D&AD seem to be not just listening to its critics, but more importantly, doing something about it. But then this happened…

Door buzzer…

‘Hello’.

‘Oh hi, Postman here. Is that Mike Dempsey?’

‘Yes’.

 ‘I have a package for you, but it doesn’t have your flat number on it’.

 ‘Number 1, first floor, come up.’

 I sign for an oversized A4, white jiffy bag…

Open it. A black box…

 Inside the box this…

A 'Slice'

I read the contents of the accompanying letter. It informs me that this is a D&AD pencil ‘slice’ and I have received it for being ‘in book’.  Then my brain starts to calculate how many projects are included in the book. A hell of a lot.

Let’s say the approximate number of creative companies mentioned in the book, and therefore qualifying for a ‘slice’, is 1000.  If you were to put these beautiful hand made little boxes end to end, they would rise 93 feet above St Paul’s Cathedral.

Suddenly all that ‘the most sustainable ever’ philosophy evaporated. And just as that D&AD flappy flag project of a few years ago got up my nose, so too has this ‘slices’ extravaganza.

I am all for celebrating achievements. But an award for being in the book, at such a wasteful price? Am I alone on this?

Next I’ll be getting an award for being listed in Yellow Pages.

D&AD are being completely inconsistent in their newfound environmental policy. They should forget all this wasteful nonsense and get their basic communications sorted. A human being at the other end of the phone when you call, and accurate information on the website would be a great start.

 

 

 

Sign of the times: Epilogue

My recent Sign of the times post turned out to be the most controversial I have experienced since this blog started in 2008. Over a 7-day period some 8,000 people visited to check out the post. Many added well-considered and thought provoking comments. What they highlighted was a deeply held passion and clear views about the current state of British editorial design.
 
Grazing through the comments has hardened my view even more.
 
The heyday of brilliant British editorial design ran from the 1960s to the late 1980s. There was a real spirit of adventure and courage, couple with a healthy rivalry and mutual respects between the art directors working at the various magazines during that period; Tom Wolsey, Dennis Bailey, Michael Rand, Max Maxwell, Barry Trengrove, Roy Carruthers, Geoffrey Axbey, Tony Mullins, Romek Marber, Harri Peccinotti, David Hillman, David Driver Pearce Marchbank and David King. A stellar roll call of exceptional talent, all responsible for some stunningly original work.  Yes, it is true to say, and as pointed out in the comments, that they were less demanding times with far fewer distractions – The digital world had yet to arrive.  But when it did, things changed forever.
 
The web gave us an alternative portal through which to view the world, out of that came DIY programming, the explosion of YouTube and a myriad of alternatives to open up new ways of delivering entertainment, information or just plain stimulation.  Meanwhile the newspapers and magazines came under increasing pressure to hold onto their readers. The cult of ‘celebrity’ reared its head, I’m not talking about real stars here, they were always newsworthy, I mean the B and D listers who have become famous for well, being famous and contributing very little. Like an insidious cancer they permeated the pages of many of our newspapers and magazines at an alarming rate.

The depressing visual template for 21st century magazines
 
The advent of publications like Hello, OK, Garcia, Nuts, Closer and Heat etc started to influence their near neighbours and over a relatively short period all covers at the popular end of the market became identical. The inside pages filled with Twitter sized articles about shallow people.

The young and impressionable latched on to them. And these days it is not unusual for kids to say that their ambition is to become ‘famous’, but with little to offer. No talent. No passion.  This ambition now plays a major part in our media, especially television. We see cheaply produced reality shows, hyped up karaoke styled talent contests, or the combative scenarios, where constants are exposed to cruel ridicule for the voyeuristic public to lap up, a formula dished up every which way. It is this unpleasant menu that has taken up a large part of airtime.
 
What has saddened me most about some of the responses to Sign of the times is the acceptance and defence of mediocrity. ‘It’s the way it is’, I hear them say, ‘It can’t be changed’. The old adage, ‘Don’t give people what they want, give them what they didn’t know they wanted’ seems a surreal concept from another time, another place.

 Spot the difference.

Thank you for the Days

This is Robin and Lucienne Day...

They spent a lifetime together helping to shape the design of post war Britain. Robin did these…

and much, more.  Meanwhile Lucienne did these…

They became the ‘it’ couple of the 1950s and 60s and lived the contemporary lifestyle that many of the young creatively minded of the day were searching for. Much of their work is still being made, which is testament to the timelessness and the mark of great design.

I had the pleasure of knowing them a little, for a decade or so before they both died, within a short time of each other. Last week Wayne Hemingway presented a fascinating programme about the Days on BBC Radio 4. Well worth a listen if you don’t know much about this influential British design duo. To listen, click here.

 

 

Kenneth Grange: Designing the everyday

This is Kenneth Grange…

He is one of Britain’s leading product designers. Few have touched our daily lives more than Grange. For over 50 years he has tackled everything from the humble shaving razor to the speedy 125 intercity train and the Kenwood Chef to the London black cab and much, much more. This month sees a retrospective exhibition of over 150 of Grange’s creations at the Design Museum in London.

Now 80 he is still as engaged and active in wanting to make things work better and look better. He has the enthusiasm of an 18 year old, which he transmits to all that come into range. He is a shining example of the designer’s ability to improve things for the benefit of society.

He are some of his most well known designs that have helped shape British culture…

Intercity 125 front end

The Kenwood Chef food mixer

Wilkinson Sword razor

The TX1 London taxi

B&W's Signature Diamond Speaker

Work shirt for Margaret Howell

Anglepoise Lamp Type 3 

I had the great pleasure of interviewing Kenneth in 2009  at his home in Devon. You can hear about his fascinating design journey here. And for more information on Grange's Design Museum exhibition click here

 

Thomas Heatherwick/Polymath

This is Thomas Heatherwick with me…

There can be little doubt about the impact that Heatherwick has had on British design. Over the past decade his surprising creations, from a handbag to a bus and bridge to a gazebo, have delighted all with their beauty, wit and diversity. Nothing seems to phase him. The latest in his growing cannon of work is the reincarnation of the Routemaster bus, so loved by Londoners and sent to the scrap heap by one mayor and thankfully revived by another, one Boris Johnson.

 

Above is Heatherwick’s initial sketch for his vision of the new version of London’s most iconic bus. And here he is on the running board of the full-scale prototype…

 

It will be back on the London streets next year. And last year we had the wonderful spectacle of his Shanghai Expo Seed Cathedral, which attracted 8 million people...

And the smaller scale East Beach Café at Littlehampton, West Sussex, gently weatherting - creating an intentional patina that Heatherwick wants to achieve...

But there is another, rather more humble annual project, that Heatherwick turns his attention each year. The Heatherwick Christmas cards. With them he has challenged the notion of what a mailable letter is and importantly Royal Mail’s ability to delivery it. They are a surprising delight for all who receives them. Take a look at a few…

Wooden trellis folding Christmas tree

Christmas stamps imbedded in a clear, ice like, resin block

Laser cut faceted snowflake

Lifting stamp block. 

Christmas label and chain-link.

Organic radiating star

And this delightful advent calendar designed in collaboration with Sara Fanelli. Each mini envelope contains a fold out word ...

to eventually spell out this festive greeting.

Back in 2004 I recorded and interview with Thomas at his home in North London where, along with his wife, he was in anticipation of their first joint creation, twins.

If you’d like to hear him recalling his early career and his views on design then just click here.

 

 

The story of D&AD’s 50th anniversary annual

In 2007 D&AD sent out an oversized pizza box containing a bright yellow satin flag brandishing their logo. It was given to a variety of D&AD members around the world. They were asked to do something snazzy with it. A selection of the results was to be featured in the 2007 annual. The whole idea rather incenses me because of its utter waste and I felt the need to protest. This was my response to D&AD’s request…  

Needless to say my little effort didn’t grace the pages of the annual nor was my protest acknowledged by D&AD. But thanks to Creative Review it found a cyber audience and started to whizz around the blogosphere. I mention this because I have been thinking about the future of the D&AD Annual.  

Apart from the first catalogue style annual in 1963 I have every copy of the D&AD Annual. I still treasure many of them. But as much as I love books, over the last decade the D&AD Annual has, to my mind, become redundant as a vehicle to best record the year’s creative highlights in this digital age...  

 

You had to buy the annual in the early days. Later it was given out free to members but you had to collect it from D&AD. Later they organised a free delivery service. For those of you who are members of D&AD you will be well aware of the rapid increase in size of the annual over the past ten years. This reflects not only the new areas of design but now includes the growing international entries. 

Last year’s edition of the annual weighed in at a hefty 3kg. It was delivered to me at a cost, I guess, of around £20 by one of those smartly dressed UPS drivers… 

in their equally immaculate chocolate brown trucks… 

I signed for it, reached for my still trusty scalpel and slashed my way through the dense cardboard protective packaging and it’s inner plastic shrink-wrapping. It left my studio floor full of debris and me holding the annual fearing a hernia under the weight. There followed a cup of coffee and a ten-minute thumb through – something I’ve done for the last two decade.

Then the tomb was snapped shut and added to my bookshelf, taking its place chronologically with its predecessors. There it will stay in quiet serenity. It was the sight of the discarded packaging and the weight of the annual that got me thinking about the sheer effort and expense to deliver this bibliographic extravaganza to my door.

Here is the DNA of the 2010 D&AD Annual…  

On top of all that it travelled 10,000 miles (it was printed in China) to reach me. And all I do is give it a cursory glance as most of the images are too small and lack detail. Then it’s on the shelf with its old buddies. I am sure I am not alone in this casual act.  

We are now very well bedded into the digital age (no longer ‘new media’) with its ever-increasing advances. And with a new D&AD president in office, and importantly one from a digital background I would like to pose a question. When is D&AD going to address this issue?  He is my solution.

Let’s just re run that UPS delivery scenario again. The only difference is that it is now 2013 (D&AD’s 50th anniversary).

So, I open my door and am handed a slim lightweight package (only 0.68g). I open it with ease, minimal waste. It is a 4th generation iPad, slimmer, faster, bigger memory and a lot cheaper (but knowing Apple it won't be). I discover later that Apple have subsidised this new little miracle to all D&AD members (how nice of them.)...

I click on to discover that it not only has the brand spanking new 2013 Annual – where I can look at the graphics in detail and activate all of the moving imagery, sound and music – but I also have access to the previous 49 annuals as well.

That’s 50 years, 1,450 cm in length, 124kg in weight, 149cm in thickness (think of those poor bookshelves) all reduced to a digital nothingness. As for the 2014 annual? Simple. It’s a download from D&AD. No UPS delivery required (sorry UPS). No Chinese printing. No paper, board, inks, glue, plastic and only one 10,000 miles journey (everything is made in China these days) to get it to your door. 

A big step for D&AD and a small carbon footprint for the creative community. (Well done D&AD.)

Cutie

This is Honda's EV-N concept electric car which will be unveiled at the Tokyo Motor Show next month. It is packed with green technology and lots of other innovative stuff including, secreted away in the passenger door, a unicycle. Now that's what I call 'cool', but I wont, because I hate that word. So let's say smashing!

If I were a carpenter…

This is Terence Woodgate. He is a furniture designer of great purity.

This is what he does…

Lovely aren’t they?

I have just recorded an interview with him for my RDInsights series. It is particularly relevant in light of my recent post, God's gift, on dyslexia. Terence is another of us who has overcome difficulty in one area by excelling in another. Hear about that and his unique collaboration with formula one racing car designer John Barnard to produce surface, a four meter long, carbon fiber table only 2mm thick (above).

To listen to our conversation click here.