Phone call at 18.30. Artwork needed same day. The only brief I had was ‘stick David on Mars…’ An image was chosen (albeit from 1976, not Aladdin Sane-era that this song originated from) and Photoshopped until we ran out of time. To celebrate the life of David Bowie Rick decided to revisit the song that he played on as a session musician many years before. A percentage of the profits went to Macmillan Cancer Support. Within days of release the CD single went to number one in the UK Physical Singles chart.
An eclectic and very British band. Music to Loon By is a compilation of session material that needed a complex and humorous treatment to echo its contents. The volume knob and eyeball are references to certain band members that Patto and Ollie Halsall fans will understand.
The first new Pink Fairies album in 30 years. Tony Henderson's skeletons grace the cover, along with many of his other sculptures. This one has made it to vinyl and comes with a free DVD. I wanted a touch of Barney Bubbles anarchy thrown in for good measure. Magenta is a splendid colour to work with...
A re-issue. Originally this one crept out in 1970 as an easy listening collection. After Rick got famous it received several unsympathetically packaged re-issues. Mine has an image taken by Bob Haskins and suitably period-style typography. The stereo logo was added for effect… most CDs are stereo these days, apparently…
The greatest blues magazine in the world. I spent two glorious years packing as much design attitude as I could into its pages... and great fun it was, too. A new look was created, with a nod to vintage blues LP sleeves for the design. The format is A5, a blessing and a curse when it comes to getting noticed on the shelves of WH Smith.
Programme design for Jethro Tull’s 50th anniversary tour. A history of the band, along with a discography, recollections and biographies of the current lineup, wrapped up in a magazine-style layout. I worked closely with Tull mainstay Ian Anderson and the band’s merchandising and management teams.
A selection of flyers and poster from recent years
The UK’s original rap magazine, 1988-2009. I spent five years as designer. When sales for rap music kept dropping and ad sales followed suit we had to face reality and throw in the towel. As an exercise in producing magazines on a shoestring this was an invaluable lesson for me and I’m still very proud of what was achieved. RIP.
