Graphic Journey Blog

When banks were frank

The very first bank I was with was the Midland (subsumed into HSBC in 1983). That was back in the 60s when the process of getting an overdraft or loan was much more rigorous than even today, and there were still managers behind oak paneled doors.

We all know that banks changed dramatically in the greed fueled, Hugo Boss, double-breasted 80s era.  I unearthed this rather charming and naive, cheque book size, direct mail piece produced for the Midland Bank in 1975, although its design styling is pure 60s…

I have no idea who designed it. If you do let me know and I’ll add a credit.

 

Ken Russell 1927 - 2011

The enfant terrible of British cinema has died. A sad day but his early work is the most fantastic cinematic legacy. Read an earlier post on him here.

Annan’s ceramic panels saved

Photo © Roger Dean 2009

Last December I posted a piece about the Dorothy Annan ceramic panels on the slowly dilapidating Fleet Building in Farringdon Road (my original post here).  The panels were in danger of being swept away (If the US bank Goldman Sachs had their insensitive way) when the building site was to be developed. Well, I am delighted to tell you that after lobbing by a group of avid supporters, via the Twentieth Century Society, the panels have now been listed by English Heritage . What a nice early Christmas present for all those who, like me, have admired them over the past 50 years.

 

Friday musing

Happy Thanksgiving Day.

I wish all of my American friends a very happy, peaceful and loving Thanksgiving Day.

The wisdom of Wolff

Earlier this week my very good friend Michael Wolff was made a Royal Designer – and about time too. He is a man of great wisdom and a man who still has a child in his heart.

In this little video he talks about the designer’s three most important muscles and how to look after them. Inspiring stuff. Enjoy HERE. 

 

Friday musing

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.

 

 

 

Lest we forget

Sam Serif # 30