Wim Crouwel – What Makes Him Go?

I found out at his recent lecture at the Royal College of Physicians.

Firstly, I have to say what great shape he's in considering that the chap is 81. And quite a gentleman too. The tall, silver haired dutch design legend talked about his hugely influential work while being entertaining and free from ego. Even referring to his famous 'new alphabet' font as being unreadable. I came across it when Saint Peter applied it to the front cover of Joy Division's 'Substance'. And it looked like the future, or how I imagined it might be. What was in the water in the 1960's? As we know, the invention and creativity was incredible which still resonates today.



And despite creating illegible fonts, he was an advocate of readability and functional design. And he loves a grid system, so much so he was nicknamed 'Gridnik'. Inspired by Bauhaus and swiss design, he was buzzing when he discovered the font Akzidenz Grotesk (Helvetica's Big Daddy) telling us that it was unavailable in the Netherlands, so he would cut it out from magazines. On the way, he tipped his hat to Univers and Fruitger, to finally exclaim, "I like the Gill". In a dutch accent.



Working on macs makes the design process so easy for us today. I marvelled at how on earth Wim created his work. Just take a look at his posters for the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, which are a triumph of simplicity of structure, colour and modernist typography. Each of these projects fed directly from an encouraging yet honest relationship with the client, who once remarked, "Gridnik – this is automatic". Wim favoured strong criticism at the conclusion of a project, enabling you to "keep your lessons" for the next job.

Studio had the pleasure of meeting the man afterwards in the Dorchester Library. Introducing ourselves as first generation mac designers, he surprised us again when he told us that he had been designing on macs since 1993. I was cheeky enough to ask whether he would speak at NUCA – but his lectures are rare. But he did have this pearl of wisdom - if a school has good architecture – something good will come out. For sure.

And to answer the question – "System and grids make me GO". What a superb evening.



Secret squirrel photos by Jason Hyde. More info on Wim Crouwel this way.

Mehr Show! Mehr Show!

Yes, Degree Show season is almost upon us.

Apologies for the poor pic above, shot on my mobile. But I wanted to record work in progress at the Norwich University College of the Arts, where Year 3 Graphic Communication students were getting their graduating shows together. And Studio was helping out, calming nerves and giving direction for hanging their work.



And that big white space is a layout design task in itself, so we firstly positioned work on desks to create that pleasing arrangement, then onto the walls. Bit to the right - bit more. Nice. All the work had to be up and ready for assessment by 6pm, so the room was a buzz with excitement and chin stroking. Plus, special mention for the floor - replaced only last week by order of NUCA's new principal John Last. The room has a white aura now and feels like a proper exhibition space. Cheers John.

Please come and see the Degree shows from Thursday 25th June to Thursday 2nd July 2009. Mehr Show! (Top marks for anyone who spotted the obscure Beatles reference. No? Nevermind). nuca.ac.uk

Mad Men – I Want Season 3 (please)

The second season of Mad Men reached its finale this week with mergers, confessions and homecomings - and I'm gutted that it's over.

I know we can catch up with i-players and gorge ourselves on DVD boxsets, but I still like to make an effort with my favourite shows at the time that it's listed in the TV guide. And Mad Men is unmissable. Set in a New York advertising agency in the early sixties - everyone is superbly dressed and chain smoke despite a Cuban missile crisis and loose sexual morals. As one character claimed in series one, "I've been on shore leave for the last 20 years".

Here is a selection of some of its best moments (beware of spoilers if you're already hooked and catching up).









Mad Men season 2 DVD is out in July. And I think the US are screening season 3 in August. Lucky sods.

London Loves

Another post about David Hillman. And so soon, but why not - especially when there is work to be celebrated like London Life.

At his recent D&AD lecture, when talking about his work in the sixties, the title that created the biggest interest was this magazine. But at the time of writing the last post I could find no examples, but with the magic of the interweb, here they are and I'm thrilled. Take a look at that masthead; making the date of publication bigger than the magazine title is genius, plus the illustration is by a young gun called Ian Dury - a blockhead who was good with the words too.



Despite such originality, the publisher deemed it unsuccessful so a more conventional style was adopted. But by losing faith in its creative, London Life lost readership and ceased trading in 1966. Shame. It goes to show that it pays to keep to a ground breaking formula, as The Face and Arena went on to achieve later on in the '80s. Nice one Neville.



Fancy a road trip? A retrospective of David's work can be seen at The Hub in Lincolnshire. Details here.

D&AD President's Lectures: David Hillman

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

Far East and Far Out With Andi Sapey

Andi Sapey is one of Studio's regular collaborators and takes a great picture. And I'll tell you a secret; designers love working with photographers - as we sit chained to our macs, we envy them as they race around taking fabulous pictures, talking casually to models and generally recording a more glamourous world. And here is your exclusive preview of his recent second trip to Japan.



Andi was like an over stimulated child when he first returned from Tokyo. He absorbed its fluorescent and dizzy culture, seen its eccentric youth tribes which ram raid the 20th Century for inspiration. And he took a lot of pictures. Even the crowded street shots tell their own story, with the occasional face in the crowd disguised by a surgical mask - respectfully not spreading germs.



"While you're out there, take plenty of pictures of young people", I asked him before he left, "I want to see what they're wearing". I wanted to see its youth culture – and the Japanese appear to have borrowed much from the bored and disinterested of the west and ran with it. And created an identity strange and fascinating but still their own.



These guys are the Bōsōzoku, a 50's style motorcycle gang who look to have been cloned from Gene Vincent's DNA. Their exaggerated quiffs threaten the ozone layer and doorways alike. They hang around, rev their bikes and dance to a weird electronic rock and roll, stomping madly and binding their winklepickers with black tape so they don't fall apart.











BBC Four's recent 'Hidden Japan' season, featured the photographic work funded by Albert Khan, a wealthy retired banker who while travelling the world despatched a photographer to document his journey - and in colour too. He first visited Japan in 1908, and discovered a country on the cusp of change, their national identity still proudly routed in the past but about to be consumed by the wider world. It's weird to compare Khan's shots with Andi's – 101 years apart but still revealing an amazing culture. Japan still respects its traditions, but with a wicked sense of humour.



Here are the links: Andi's Flickr - Albert Khan on BBC Four. And Andi's main site.

Wild Thing...

Warning: parents may get a little misty eyed at this post. Maurice Sendak's classic children's book, 'Where The Wild Things Are' has finally been made into a movie, and will soon be competing against the latest pixar creation, for our children's attention.

I first discovered this wonderful book when I was at art school in the late '80s, we were working on a brief for a children's pop-up book at the time. And I was immediately struck by the imaginative illustrations, which entice you further into the world of the wild things. I was 19 – what must it do to the mind of a 3 year old?



Ten or so years later I got to find out, as each night I read this magical book to my son Billy. It was his favourite bedtime story, and each time I re-told it there was the opportunity to embellish the story, while his eyes marveled at the imagery. Perhaps, he imagined he was Max, the boy in the story who was banished to his room for making mischief, and once there escapes to the land of the wild things.

Billy is ten now and will soon see the movie (he's always loved cinema) - I wonder what he'll think of it? The first signs are good, as it's directed by Spike Jonze - famous for music videos for artists such as Bjork and Fat Boy Slim and directing the movie, 'Being John Malkovich'. The kind of weird stuff perhaps perfect for where all wild things are.

Boys and girls, Mums and Dads – Here's the trailer, now weep: