I've been recently talking to students at NUCA about which examples of design inspire me. Or as a friend of mine put it, 'a desert island' selection of design.
My first exposure and understanding of design were the Two Tone sleeves by Jerry Dammers and David Storey. And that economic approach to design is also evident in my love for sleeves by Reid Miles for Blue Note. But 'Power, Corruption and Lies' by Peter Saville is a design masterpiece which continues to intrigue. So it was smashing to find this short film of Peter talking about what inspires him.
As part of the Tate Shots series, Peter explains his fascination with 'Toaster' by the pop artist Richard Hamilton and how it can be seen as a blueprint of his work for Factory. And it's clear to see why - clean, understated and textural - an experience which draws you in. Only to read promotional text from Braun advertisements. Apparently, the work reflects Richard's love of Braun's product designer, Dieter Rams. I wonder what he would of made of the iphone?
Here's what Peter makes of 'Toaster':
'Toaster' was created in 1967 - a year later, Richard Hamilton was commissioned to design the white album by the Beatles. An obvious minimalist classic and a reaction to Peter Blake's Sgt. Pepper. I love the story of Paul McCartney watching Hamilton at work - building up the collage which made up the poster found inside the sleeve. It was a visual treat for Beatles fans, featuring candid shots of the Beatles at home, at play - you get the idea. But rather than reveal more, Richard was masking-off areas of the composition with sheets of white paper - creating complimentary space. I've always thought it was very cool of Paul McCartney to trust the practise of artists such as Richard and not allow his ego get in the way.
We never tire of what inspires us the most, plus it's the reminder for us to create great work ourselves.
See more of Richard Hamilton's work at Tate Britain
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