Graphic Journey Blog

Think about it

 

God's gift

For years I went through school-life thinking that I was educationally inferior to many of my friends. I was a painfully slow reader. Maths was a complete mystery to me and generally I was happiest doing practical things. I excelled at art and spent much of my time daydreaming – I hasten to add that we are talking the 1950s here; a period when the term ‘dyslexia’ was unheard of, and teachers would single out people like me as ‘thick’. In recent decades the condition was quickly identified and there is now a lot of help and strategies in place to help overcome the problem. If it is indeed a problem... 

Working in this creative world of ours, I have discovered an amazing concentration of dyslexics. So many of the designers I have written about or interviewed, are who they are, precisely because of their 'gift' of dyslexia. And it would seem that we are all the better for it. These days, dyslexics are described as ‘Creative Thinkers’. And we even have a list of likely strengths and weaknesses...

Strengths: Persistent, concentrated, perceptive, vivid imagination, creative, drive and ambition, curiosity, think in pictures instead of words, superior reasoning, capable of seeing things differently from others, love of complexity, quickly mastering the new, aware of everything, able to do multiple things at the same time, capable of intense short-term focus, quick decision maker, highly intuitive, learns best by hands on, rather than lecture or reading, realise that you are different from others, able to create a complete mental picture from pieces and always active-constantly thinking. 

Weaknesses: Easily distracted, seek stimulation, immature social behaviour, says what comes to mind, difficulty remembering names, seek immediate gratification, impulsive and impatient, suffer from motion sickness, bored by ordinary tasks, inattentive, sense of under achievement, reverse letters and numbers, slow reader when young, difficulty with mathematical concepts, problems mastering phonics and spelling, problems understanding the rules of grammar, somewhat disorganized, capable of changing on a moment's notice. Have phobias: fear of dark, heights, speaking in public. Prefer unstructured situations with freedom. 

I found both lists very familiar in my own daily life.

I have always written but never felt I could share it with anyone because of my appalling spelling and grammatical faux pas. But I have thank Lynda Relph Knight, editor of Design Week, who 12 years ago encouraged me to write for the magazine. I have been doing so ever since and in the process it has so opened up a whole new passion for me (thank you Lynda). I still have trouble of course — and as regular readers of this blog will know I have committed some real howlers to print. But I now have someone to cast her eyes over my musings to make sure that I am not making a fool of myself. But often in my impatience, rather than wait for her, I'll go ahead and end up with silly mistakes. If I occasionally do this, please forgive me. 

So if any of the above strikes a cord welcome to our club. You're in good company. Here are some pictures (I know you prefer them) of some right brained comrades…

Leonardo da Vinci / Genius

Steven Spielberg / Film Director

Pablo Picasso / Genius 

Keira Knightley / Actor

John Lennon / Genius

Richard Ford / Writer

David Bailey / Photographer

Tom Cruise / Actor

Lewis Carroll / Writer and humorist

Jamie Oliver / Chef

Walt Disney / Genius

Steve Jobs / Mr Apple

Eddie Izzard / Comedian & Actor

They are all in our club. You are not alone. And remember...

The tree

And so my tree comes full circle
Now bathing majestically in the
warm summer sun
Leaves swollen with life
A hazy, flush of blue green
Ready to take on whatever lies ahead
Come rain or shine
Adding another ring to its long
and beautiful life
Thank you my lovely tree

 

 

On my mind

The tree

My tree now engulfed in saffron splendor, with this blossoming field of reap seed. The leaves are budding lush emerald green and will soon show themselves to the world in all their majesty. Breathtakingly beautiful.

Black is Black

As designers we have a world of colour at our fingertips. Why then do so many of us dress in black (with a little grey thrown in for good measure) I ask myself? To be different? Clearly not, as most of the creative fraternity look alarmingly similar. It got me thinking about the designer and fashion.  I happen to have every D&AD annual ever published and apart from looking at how the various stylistic shifts have occurred in design over the past 40 odd years – which I find endlessly fascinating -  It's actually  much more fun looking at the jury photos, which are a riot of minis, maxis, flares, zabbattas, kippers, long locks, ‘Brains’ glasses, stubble, wide red braces, breakfast TV jumpers, shoulder pads, drain pipes, double breasted, structureless,  baggy , mullets, Keegan bubbles, Fair Isle pullovers,platforms, black horn rimmed, blousoned, bald etc, etc. Let’s bring a little of that variety back into our world. To get you in the mood here are a range of images that are a positive delight in the use of colour and wit. Daily life should be more like this.

 

P.S. Just before you race to the wardrobe, here is Sophia Loren who, I think you’ll agree can wear black anytime.

It’s official

Our planet is crumbling. Financial catastrophe reigns. The government is disintegrating, many more countries are in conflict and ‘wall of sound’ creator Phil Spector is destined to a life of silence.

Following the recent world summit, it has been leaked that large caves are being prepared to receive tens of thousands of people in order to sit out the global depression for up to a decade.

The first of these subterranean receptacles has been completed in deepest Dorset. At great risk to the writer of this blog, the following  photograph was snapped at a secret location…  

Thought for our times

Iron Man

There is a line in Bob Dylan’s song, ‘It’s Alright ma’ that goes, ‘But even the president of the United States sometimes must have to stand naked.’ I think it was Dylan’s way of verbally reducing everyone down to the same level. I have a very similar view about ironing. I sometimes like to imagine my heroes performing this mundane necessity. Think for a moment about the great designer Charles Eames, responsible for some of the most iconic chairs and still, 30 years after his death, are worldwide bestsellers. But did he ever do his own ironing, that is the question? And if so, did he enjoy it? The ironing board is an important symbol in John Osborn’s play ‘Look Back in Anger’...

While Jimmy Porter rants on about the world, his wife, Alison dutifully irons his shirts. Jimmy never does of course because, well, he’s a man’s man. And what about every graphic students hero, Peter Saville...

- often photographed half dressed, or in a white bath robe, cigarette lazily slotted in the corner of his mouth in a Belmondoesque sort of way, looking as if he’s had a hard night with some sensual beauty...

Now what would he look like bending over an ironing board pressing those drainpipe white jeanes? Sorry that didn’t sound quite decent  - well, you know what I mean. And here is the Faber &  Faber book cover for ‘Look Bank in Anger’...

 It was designed by the ex Pentagram guru John McConnell. What about him brandising an iron? Actually on second thoughts,  I don’t want to think about that. So whenever you feel slightly intimidated or in awe of a design hero, use my little leveling method. It works a treat. And do I iron? Well, you’ll just have to use your imagination.

 

The tree

 

On these snow covered chill winters days. With temperatures dropping to -8°. My tree stands alone in quiet dignity. Looking across the fields. And beyond, far out to sea.