In 1965 I was working for an Artists Agent called Bryan Colmer. It was located in Farringdon Road, London. My window looked out across to this series of relatively new ceramic panels...
They were designed by Dorothy Annan*, and commissioned to celebrate the world of telecommunications and graced the front of the then GPO telephone exchange building built in 1960 and have recently been saved from destruction by English Heritage.
I was the in-house designer at Bryan Colmer and my main task was to design the typography to accompany the illustrations for the book covers they had been commissioned for. At the time the agency represented some of the most talented illustrators working…
Above two examples of Frattini's work from the 60's
Gino D'Achille*** photographed by Max Bailey in 2012. Gino died in February 2017.
Above D'Achille's unashamedly commercial approach that has kept him busy for 60 years.
Above the work of Tom Adams who also illustrated many Agatha Christie covers in the 1970's
Above two examples of illustrator, Michael Johnson (not that one) who was a highly sort after British illustrator in the 60s and 70s.
For a young twenty-something in the haze of 'swinging (it had an innocent meaning then) London’, it was very exciting. There was a continual bustle of illustrators coming and going through the agency delivering their work to the hand of Virgil Pomfret, a tall, prematurely bald, languid ex-Eatonion with a penchant for Mozart. He was the co-director of the agency and it was he who had looked through my little A4 portfolio of handmade book covers created at my kitchen table in the evenings. To my amazement he offered me the job as the in-house designer, thus rescuing me from a claustrophobic commercial art studio where I had been working for a man who favoured the use of Albertus on every single job.
Once installed at the agency, I would be given a collection of illustrations, which needed to be converted to finished book covers. For me, this became the perfect playground to experiment with type, and where I discovered that the personality of a typeface could engender a myriad of moods. As I was the only designer working there, my inspirations came from whatever I happened to be soaking up at the time from magazines, books and films. The agency did represent one graphic designer, an American with the rather catchy name of Sam Sulliman who created a reputation in the jazz album cover world. He was in the UK at the time. Here's a little of his work...
Above three paperback covers and a 12" album cover designed by Sam Sulliman during the 60's
I would often meet the illustrators as they hung out at the Farringdon Road offices. One day a young, good-looking guy turned up with a large portfolio. I noticed him for two reasons. Firstly he smoked a pipe but more importantly for me, he was kitted out head to foot in pure Ivy League clothes. Since childhood, I was somewhat obsessed with America and all things American. His name was Bruce McDonald...
That's Bruce on the left in a TV commercial around 1965. Nice light weight summer suit, Oxford button down shirt and diagonal striped tie.
Little did I know that he was to help change my destiny. At the time Bruce had been one of the artists working on concept drawings for Stanley Kubrick’s film 2001. I thought this pretty fantastic and much enjoyed, via Bruce’s drawings, having a brief glimpse into a film that I was avidly anticipating. Bruce’s style had a delicacy, brought about by a very free pencil line, overlaid with soft washes of colour…
Above two book jackets illustrated by Bruce with typography added by me way back in 1965/6 while at Bryan Colmer Limited as their in house designer.
Like so many illustrators of the time he was inspired by the great established American magazine illustrators, two notables were Bernie Fuchs and Bob Peak…
Bernie Fuchs (1932-2009)
Above two examples of the work of American illustrator Bernie Fuchs who was a towering talent during the late 50's to the 70's.
Above Bob Peak. Another big influence on British illustrators from across the pond.
I always looked out for Bruce when he came into the agency and on one of his visits, he told me that some friends of his from Cincinnati had opened a design consultancy in London and were on the lookout for designers. He asked if I’d like to take my work along to show them. A month or so later I found myself in a new job working for Cato, Peters, and O’Brien** as a designer...
Above the mailer sent out by Cato, Peters, O'Brien announcing their arrival in London.
At last, I was in a serious design consultancy run by Americans. I was in seventh heaven especially when the boss, Mac Cato...
Mac Cato plus pipe (very trendy then) in 1965.
threw a party at his Eaton Square flat in Chelsea furnished with Eames chairs, potted palms and a cluster of grouped picture frames. It all looked so cool (in a sixties way) that I was already seeing interiors differently. Below, my first house a year or so after that party...
Above my first home in the late 1960's - Very period indeed!
That party back in 1966 throbbed away into the night to the sound of the recently released Beatles Revolver album. Bruce McDonald rented a room at Cato, Peters, and O’Brien** as his illustration studio...
This is not actually the space Bruce occupied at the Albermarle Street studios but shows how he looked at the time.
and so we became work mates. Very quickly I wanted the low down on his clothes, in particular, a rather smart summer weight, dark grey herringbone, three-piece suit. “I can get you this via mail ordered directly from the states,” said Bruce. A month later I was the proud owner of a little bit of American culture to match the penny loafers I had saved up for. Amusingly when the suit arrive both side pockets had pouches of...
Clan tobacco, Bruce’s favourite pipe mix and not available in the UK and secreted there by his father. Bruce’s method of working was as with many commercial illustrators at the time. He would set up his reference, photograph it, have prints made and project them onto his drawing board via an epidiascope and off he would go. Often he would pull me in and other members of staff to photograph for whatever project he had on the go amidst a swirl of pipe tobacco. This is me in 1966 posing for one of Bruce’s book covers…
Me in full 'method' mode posing for Bruce.
And here I am again immortalised on another of Bruce's book jackets (That’s me on the left).
While working at Cato, Peters, O'Brien I produced a lot of album covers for CBS, one of the firm's clients...
Above an EP designed by me in 1966 and includes an illustration by work mate Ginger Tilley who was a fantastically versatile illustrator.
Often CBS had photographs of an artist for their albums, such as the two jazz covers above and this for Bob Dylan's 1967 album. I would simply make a design out of them or just add the type.
I left Cato, Peters, O'Brien in 1968 to join the publishers William Heinemann as their Art Director. That was the last time I saw Bruce McDonald. He moved back to the US where he worked for Young & Rubican as an advertising executive. In the mid 80's he set up his own firm in marketing communications based in New York. In 2000 he retired from the company and moved to Virginia where he purchased a house that dates back to 1775 (that's very old in the US). He now spends his time restoring the house, writing and teaching at two universities in Lexington VA. Through the wonders of the world wide web, and a little help from my old boss Mac Cato I recently tracked Bruce McDonald down. Here he is now...
Bruce McDonald last year. What a nice friendly looking guy.
Although all the above happened well over forty years ago it remains a vivid memory for me. Back then I had my whole life and career ahead of me. And boy, did that flash by. So to all of those twenty something’s who might be reading this - treasure every moment of your life, you won't get a second chance.
And if there are any old Cato, Peters, O'Brien alumni out there do get in touch. I'd be happy to add comments and photos to this post.
*More about the Dorothy Anna ceramic panels here.
**More about my early life in design here.
***More about Gino D'Achille here