Graphic Journey Blog

Sir Paul Smith

Fashion designer Sir Paul Smith RDI shares with Mike Dempsey RDI his story of leaving school at age fifteen, the accident that curtailed his hopes of being a racing cyclist to global recognition for his sartorial creations and much more in this revealing interview.
Listen HERE

Mike Dempsey: My graphic journey

That’s me above, and this post is unashamedly about me and how I got into what has become a lifelong affair with graphic design – something that has never diminished but grown. Now heading towards my 80s (I still think I’m 34) and having lived through monumental changes in the creative world (from the old analogue days to the hyper technology of today and everything in-between), I am posting a recorded interview from RDInsight, a podcast series I conceived in 2006 and still going strong. I interview those who have received the accolade Royal Designer for Industry (RDI), which is a UK honour awarded by the Royal Society of Arts to exceptional designers across all disciplines for their creative contributions to society. There are over 60 interviews. But for the 60th one, the tables were turned and I became the interviewee. So at the end of 2022, I got to talk about my life and work. I’m now relieved to be back in charge of the microphone again.

To hear the recording, you’ll find the link at the foot, just click the bar, where you’ll find me recounting my own ‘graphic journey’.

But before that, here is a little of my work for clients English National Opera (ENO) and the London Chamber Orchestra (LCO) – two projects from the 1990s I dearly loved being involved with. Here is some of that work. 

MIKE DEMPSEY RDI FINAL EDIT 4:11.2022 copy

The cover designer's dread: "We have some notes".

Below:  Dec. 9, 2022 New York Times
NYT journalist, Matt Dorfman in the accompanying piece on 'The NYT Best Book Covers 2022' said:

" Most often, any personal stylistic expressions in their work are swallowed up in service to the multiple masters — editors, marketing directors, sales teams — who sign off on a book’s cover. There is also the matter of adhering to any one publisher’s dos and don’ts, which can inform mandates about typography, color palettes and production flourishes like embossing or metallic inks. For people employed in a theoretically creative pursuit, designers’ talents are often defined by how effortlessly they can make themselves disappear to serve the book".

Cutting to the chase Dorfman means a shedload of suggestions and interference from those in the publishing industry who think they know better than the poor designer. After that onslaught, they are left to absorb all that crap and attempt to produce something of merit. I think this group of covers demonstrates that they are fighting a losing battle. How sad things have got.

Greetings

To all my readers and passers-by, have a very safe time wherever you may be.

Jenny Frean: A kaleidoscope of colour

This is Jenny Frean RDI, the award-winning British textile designer.
I had the great pleasure of recording an interview with her last month about her life and work. It's a delightful story.

Here is a tiny sampling of her work.

To hear the interview click HERE.

THANK YOU

To all who have dropped by over the past twelve months. May your year ahead be happy and healthy.

Thank you.

Georgina von Etzdorf: A kaleidoscope of colour

I make no bones about this post: it’s a plug for my dear friend Georgina von Etzdorf. She is a wonderful textile designer – her use of silk jacquard, velvet and chiffon with vibrant swirls, diamonds and stars, plus splashes of emotional intensity, singles her out as special. She works the fabric into scarves, ties, gloves, dressing gowns, blouses, waistcoats, etc. Over the years, through her company GvE&Co, she has sprinkled her magic on everyone from rock stars to royalty, all falling in love with her creations. She has a natural intuition when it comes to colour combinations and employs them where others would fear to tread, with her stunning results attracting followers from around the world. In 1997 she was made an RSA Royal Designer for Industry.

The Malaga retreat

The combination of an economic downturn and misfortune forced GvE&Co to temporarily close. In recent years, Georgina has spent a lot of time at her farmhouse high in the hills above Malaga, Spain, reassessing her life and work. Inspired by the landscape and changing seasons, she has been consumed by painting. Out of this extended sojourn have come many new ideas.

Work jacket with a twist

In 2013, Georgia collaborated with fashion designer Margaret Howell to create a shirt. It was an interesting proposition to harness the relative calm of Howell and the exuberance of von Etzdorf. The result was not a shirt but an almost wartime, utilitarian, genderless, hardwearing work jacket (above) with subtle flashes of colour in the edge piping. Margaret Howell recalls:

“When Georgina came through the door of our studio clutching a packet of West Country biscuits and an old pyjama jacket, her face beaming, brimming with enthusiasm, I realised little had changed since I first met her at her degree show in 1977. I was impressed then by her colours and painterly approach.”

In 2017, von Etzdorf reconnected with her old creative partner Jonathan Docherty to re-energise GvE&Co with a new range of textile designs, which were applied to a limited range of exquisite products – from cushions and rugs to pillows and robes. And if you want to understand the sensual delights of wearing the most perfect silk, you can’t beat this review from GvE&Co fan Coco Campbell...

Coco, experiencing the silkiest of silky moments, twice over.

“My dressing gown is, without doubt, the singular most glorious piece of clothing I own. As well as floating around in it at any given opportunity at home, I also wear it out – leather belted as a dress. Any excuse to have that silk against my skin and to show off the stunning print and impossibly beautiful colours. I have never felt sexier than when wearing it. I have never had more flattering comments than when wearing it. It’s like discovering a delicious secret that makes me gasp and gives me nothing but joy.”

Cotton velvet cushions and woven wool rugs

What makes GvE&Co’s products so special is the stunning printing techniques, developed through continual experimentation over many years and always used on the most beautiful fabrics. Her new range is now available to see and purchase from the new GvE&Co website at the foot of this post.

Limited edition 'Poppy' giclee print -1977/1981

Here’s Georgina in a recent interview with Annabel Ross, broadcaster and creator of the blog ‘Messages from the Wild’ HERE.

And if you enjoyed that one, here’s a far longer recording made for my RDInsight series when I visited Georgina in Spain a few years ago. It’s a jolly good story about success and failure with a lot of laughs along the way, as there is always a sense of fun leaching below the surface with Georgina. To hear the interview, click HERE.

And for more information about GvE&Co here is the new website: click HERE.

David Gentleman: My Town

David Gentleman RDI. Photo by © Antonio Olmos

David Gentleman has long been a hero of mine ever since the nursery slopes of my design career. His all-round ability as illustrator, designer, engraver and writer is breathtaking. For me on discovering his work back in the 1960s, he appeared a rather aloof character being distanced from hubbub and hype of design associations like the Chartered Society of designers or D&AD. He seemed to hover above those competitive worlds.  But I noted that he had the letters RDI after his name, I had no idea what that was.

Little did I know that many years later I would finally meet David on the occasion of my becoming an RDI (Royal Designer for Industry). Since that time I have had the pleasure of knowing him, written about and recorded an interview with him (Link below). My early imaginings of his aloofness were completely unfounded. If anything he has that English shyness and modestly that resists the notion of being praised, in a wold of hubris it is a rarity these days. But for me, his work speaks loud and proud, he doesn't need to say a thing.

The jacket and binding case (below).

Last week saw the publication of his new book My Town: An Artists Life in London. It features the everyday goings-on in a town he has lived in and loved all his life. Captured with his beautiful black ink pen line overlayed with the most watery of watercolour it captures the seven decades of his 90 years on this planet. His 90th birthday coincided with the publication of the book. It's a delight.

Hear my interview with David Gentleman RDI HERE

Season's Greetings!