Unfortunately, Studio slunk in twenty minutes late for this event thanks to delays on the rail network. Typical. Anyway, stood at the back I was still in time to hear David Hillman talk about his work in the sixties and take his guided tour through the decades that followed. In conversation with Patrick Baglee, it was a relaxed evening and like the many magazines that David's worked upon: content packed.
Is David the Austin Powers of the industry? Behave – but he was in London just as it was beginning to swing, working on the Sunday Times Colour Supplement and being appointed art director of London Life magazine in '65 at the style hungry age of 20. The word 'colour' is key to the sixties, where the UK was leaving behind the black and white world of post-war austerity and dazzling all with its creativity.
Working on Nova magazine from '69 until its closure in '75, he helped create a richly photographic and lavish publication for men and women (which confused potential advertisers). Its content, forever striving to break taboos such as reporting on homosexuality, VD and other confrontational issues. The design would also challenge the status quo - David's favourite example being a front cover featuring a pair of legs instead of the required formula of printing a Big Face. Such a crusading spirit resulted in a desirable magazine you didn't mind being seen reading on the tube.
Step into Patrick Baglee's D&AD tardis and you'll promptly appear in 1988 where David has been asked to re-design The Guardian. By making such radical decisions as placing the masthead on the right and the ultimate heresy of placing text content above it. Plus, a belief in quality photography and designing around the Big picture. There's a feeling throughout David's career that he continues to be in the right place at the right time, but with the talent to create era-defining design.
Of course that was a long time ago, and The Guardian has had another facelift since then (David dislikes the blue bar masthead) - here we are in 2009 and local newspapers and national magazines alike are facing closure. But for David he doesn't believe the threat is from technology alone. It could be the publishing industry itself. Where is the imagination? We still enjoy the printed word, greedily absorbing magazines and newspapers in depth and at our leisure, rather than the quick hit of the interweb. But we will only be appeased by provocative, stimulating content – superbly designed. For David, he sees too much repetition in news stand racks - the same celebrity faces staring back at a fame deluded public. The future can learn from the simplicity of the past - content to be driven by the 'idea', and the vital combination of style and substance.
Visit David Hillman's Studio here
No comments:
Post a Comment