FLUME by Nicklas Haslestad

Flume Five Graphic

Issue No.1

design legends of the

English music industry

Storm Thorgeson and Pink Floyd

England graphic design

any consider England to be the center of the design world. Countless worldfamous graphic designers have emerged from England, finding incredible ways to raise the bar for cutting-edge design.

When investigating the English graphic design scene from the 1970â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s and onward, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s all about music. New genres, bands and sounds were emerging everywhere and graphic design has had no choice but to keep up. With music being the biggest influence for graphic design, we have decided to investigate this relationship further. How do music and design interact? How does a graphic designer bring the music to a visual sense? What process does the designer go through when creating an album cover to be put in the hands of millions of listeners? What other factors influence the design? We have chosen five graphic designers behind five bands that have managed to capture the music stage over the last forty years. Alongside their legendary, prominent music has come inspiring, influential design. - Katrine Hesselberg, Jana Ingles, Charlotte Hellebostad, Nicklas Haslestad

Storm Thorgeson

The designer for big-name bands like Led Zepplin, Pink Floyd and Muse tells of his design journey.

Tappin Gofton

The studio that has designed all of Coldplay’s incredibly diverse artwork including the recent “Mylo Zyloto.”

Stanley Donwood

The Designer of all of Radiohead’s artwork of the last 15 years talks of the relationship between music and design.

John Pasche

The Designer of one of the most iconic logos of all time for one of the biggest bands of all time.

Jamie reid

Gave visual life to the Punk Rock movement of the 1970’s while designing for the Sex Pistols.

Five bands. five design legends.

Storm Thorg erson Storm Thorgerson er en engelsk grafiker og er definitivt et av Englands store stoltheter. I 1983 var han student ved og hadde planer om å bli reggisør, men per i dag har han ikke stått bak produksjonen av noen film, han har derimot hatt en finger med i det grafiske arbeidet på noen av Englands aller største band.

Words by Katrine Hesselberg

“The cow is forty years old today, and it worked as an absolute treat. It was so different. It was an attitude cow. It doesn’t mean anything!” -Storm Thorgerson

Abot the famous pink floyd album

Coverart for Pink Floyds album Atom Heart Mother

torms første grafiske arbeid fikk han ved en tilfel-

for; surrealistiske motiver som tilsynelatende ikke har rot i

dighet; han var på rett sted til riktig tid og tok på seg

virkeligheten i det hele tatt. Men betyr disse surrealistiske

covergrafikken til bandet til en venn av seg, noe som

motivene noe? Hvordan jobber han frem noe så utenfor vår

senere skulle vise seg å være svært fruktig. Bandet

virkelighetsoppfatning?

han designet for var nemlig Pink Floyd som senere skulle bli

Når Storm designer for forskjellige band er det ikke musikken

et av verdens mest kjente band, og fra da av jobbet Storm

på et teknisk plan han henter inspirasjon fra. I et intervju med

Thorgerson som grafisk designer!

magasinet The Rolling Stones snakker han om hans forhold til

Storm Thorgerson var et av to medlemmer i den berømte

musikken på det tekniske plan:

designduoen Hipgnosis som har satt sitt stempel på rock’n roll historien via fotografier, illustrasjoner og flotte innpak-

“I don’t have much to say about music. Usually I like it, and I

ninger for noen av tidenes mest berømte band. Designduoen

just absorb it. I don’t have much to say, and they ain’t let me say

har bl.a. jobbet med Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Paul McCart-

anything anyway. They say “For God’s sake, Storm, do not harm

ney, Yes, Wishbone Ash, Genesis og mange fler før de brøt fra

our song. Do not murder our tune.” So I never say anything, really,

hverandre i 1983.

about the music. I just let it go over, really, I suppose. It’s my job to

Etter dette har Storm Thorgerson fortsatt å produsere plate-

reinterpret it, really.”

covere alene, og imponerer nok en gang med store artistnavn som bl.a. Muse, Led Zeppelin,Audioslave, Europe, som alle har

Av og til tar han utgangspunkt i enkeltstående tekster og titler,

fått svært god kritikk for sitt unike design.

andre ganger tar han utgangspunkt i det store bildet; han de-

På et cover designet av Storm Thorgerson finner man ikke

signer etter helthetsfølelsen I tekstene på plata, andre ganger

bandet sittende i en sofa på forsiden, han har motiver, og de-

designer han etter hvordan et band fremstår på scenen, andre

signer som ingen andre og det er vel akkurat det han er kjent

ganger igjen designer han etter holdninger bandet har.

Om ideen bak Pink Floyds album Ummagumma sier han dette: It was an attempt to represent the many different layers in their

Til høyre: Ummagumma Released 1969

music. No ephemeral pop band this, therefore no trivia, instead wheels within wheels, layers beneath layers, tunes replete with meaning and all this, for heaven’s sake, in the same music.’ Et av hans aller mest kjente album gjort for Pink Floyd er

Til venstre over: The Dark Side of the Moon Released 1973

coveret til plata Atom Heart Mother med kun en ku utenpå. Dette kom av at bandet ville utforske all type musikk uten å bli satt en merkelapp på, dermed bad de Storm Thorgerson om å designe ”noe enkelt” som da endte opp med å bli denne kua.

Til venstre under: Coverart for Muse Delicate Sound of Thunder Released 1988

“The cow is forty years old today, and it worked as an absolute treat. It was so different. It was an attitude cow. It doesn’t mean anything. I think the Floyd thought it was just funny. So therefore it was about them. If a band likes it, it’s an extension oftheir own

taste.” Han tar en følelse, vrir, vender, dytter, drar, og graver dypt frem til han finner en morsom og uventet måte å representere budskapet på. Han liker å ha ting å referere tilbake til, at designet hans har et svakt ekko som føres tilbake til ideen hans, enten om det har en stor flott mening eller bare er et morsomt påfunn!

tappin gofton Words by Nicklas L. Haslestad

n 1996 a British alternative rock band got formed by lead vocalist Chris Marten and lead guitarist Jonny Buckland at university college of London. They called themselves Coldplay. The band has won several music awards through-

out their carerr. Such as six British Awards – Best British Group three times, four MTV video music awards and seven Grammy awards from twenty nominations. Coldplay is on of the world’s best-selling music artist, with over 50 million records sold worldwide.Their album covers has been designed by several artist. A duo called Tappin Gofton (Mark Tappin and Simon Gofton)that have designed the most: Xyloto,Viva La Vida og X&Y. Tappin Gofton is a design duo from London, England. Both Mark Tappin and Simon Gofton studied graphic design in the 90’s. They have more than 20 years of previous commercial

“Our practice is supported by a close working relationship with both clients and the creative collaborators we work with.” Evey teardrop is a waterfall - Released 2011

inspired by strong visual identity

Mylo Xyloto - Released 2011

experience and have produced award-winning design for the music, fashion, arts, publishing and entertainment industries. Besides Coldplay, they’ve designed and art directed sleeved for bands such as The Chemical Brothers, Travis and Zoot Woman. They have also created advertising campaigns for Adidas, Caterpillar, Channel 4 and Mandarina Duck. Like they say: “Our practice is supported by a close working relationship with both clients and the creative collaborators we work with.“ Worldwide, Tappin Gofton is best known for their ambiguous design for the X&Y. Theye have created a strong visual identity throughout the past years. He designes reflect so natural around the music Coldplay has created. Tappin Gofton inspiration was in the first place, inspired by the strong alternative identity Coldplay shown in the Album X&Y. Viva La Vida - Released 2008

X&Y - Released 2005

Wtt`

Stanley Don wood The man behind the visual identity of one of Englandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s biggest bands ,

radiohead

Words by Jana Inglis

In 1985 five English boys from Abingdon, Oxfordshire came together to form what has become one of Englandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most successful, world-wide known bands: Radiohead. This alternative/experimental rock band has produced eight chart-topping albums and have received many awards and recognitions including 3 Grammy Awards. Throughout the years, Radiohead has left their artwork up to a single artist. Stanley Donwood (his real name is Dan Rickwood) has created the appearance of Radiohead for over 15 years.

-STanley Donwood

his English artist/designer, born September 11th 1968, was a fellow art student with the band’s lead singer, Thom Yorke at the University of Exeter. Donwood has become incredibly successful and recognized from creating the visual identity of Radiohead, and

has even won the “Best Recording Package” Grammy Award in 2002 for the album design of “Amnesiac.” There are several things that inspire Donwood’s work, but when it comes to designing albums and poster art, the music is the most influential element. For Donwood, timing is everything. In an interview with Archie Ticktin from Current TV, he says that “the artwork kind of evolves by listening to the music, so by the time the music is finished, the artwork is finished. They’ve entwined together” (March, 2008). Donwood’s art-

“Ok Computer” album released in 1997. Designed n London.

work and Radiohead’s music are being formed simultaneously so that they grow together and reflect each other. For their latest album “King Of Limbs,” Donwood again began working with the artwork as the band was putting the songs together. He says, “It works at the same sort of pace as the music… It’s something that grows very organically.” The powerful visual identity he has created for Radiohead known to be so in tune with the music, that some came to believe at one point that Donwood and Yorke were the same person. Of course they are two different people, but they are great friends and have always worked closely together when it comes to creating the band’s artwork. Donwood’s artwork for Radiohead is also inspired by his geographical location. Designing much of the artwork “Amnesiac” album released in 2001. Inspired by “getting lost in London.”

“The artwork kind of evolves by listening to the music, so by the time the music is finished, the artwork is finished. They’ve entwined together”

“In Rainbows” album released in 2007. Designed on the West Coast of America.

in London, he admits to allowing his surroundings influence the work he produces. Donwood says that growing up in England with grey skies and English sarcasm has really shaped his work, producing covers like “OK Computer” which has quite a gloomy palette. The British mindset and English gloom are big contributors of inspiration and are much unlike his works produced from living on the west coast of America (such as “In Rainbows”). Radiohead’s success has been mirrored by Donwood’s success, and together they have created an identity, which speaks of the power of entwining both music and design.

JOHN

CREATOR OF THE ROLLING STONES LOGO AND ARTWORK Words by Charlotte Hellebostad

PASCHE

The Rolling Stones- «She’s so cold» sleeve.

ohn Pasche is an british designer, most famous for

cold» for the band. It is is clearly that he has been inspired

designing the “Tongue and Lip Design” logo for The

by the title of the song to create the visual design when you see the blue tongue with icicles on.

Rolling Stones. He completed his B. A. in graphic design from the Brighton

College of Art during the period of 1963-1967. His M. A was completed at the Royal College of Art in London from 1967-1970. It was here Pasche first met Stones frontmann Mick Jagger, that was looking for a design student to help create a logo. After he designed the logo he ended up working for the Stones from 1970-1974. Pasche said about his meetings with Mick Jagger: «Face

«The first use of the logo was the inner sleeve for the Sticky Fingers album» - John Pasche.

«The first use of the logo was the inner sleeve for the Sticky Fingers album», Pasche said. He also designed several posters for Rolling Stones tours: namely the European tours of 1970 and 1973, and the American tour of 1972. The Rolling Stones is an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones, Ian Stewart, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. Since the breakthrough the band have become one of the world’s most recognized.

to face with him, the first thing you

“Face to face with him, the first thing you were aware of was the size of his lips and of his mouth”

were aware of was the size of his lips and of his mouth».

Their worldwide sales are estimated at more than 200 million

Pasche also designed the single sleeve for the song «She’s so

albums.

- JOHN PASCHE

ABOUT MEETING MICK JAGGER

Jamie reid I dag er The Sex Pistols kjent som punkens far; det bandet som ledet punken inn på den store musikkscenen i England på slutten av 70-tallet dermed også punkbevegelsens store forbilde. Ikke bare ble de kjent for musikken sin, men også bandets selve uttrykk; cd’cover, singler, plakater osv var med på å skape bandets identitet og er i dag kjent verden over for sitt kontroversielle og radikale uttrykk, og blir sett på som synonymt med punk! Mannen bak disse kunstverkene og dermed punkens ekte far er den britiske designeren Jamie Reid!

Words by Katrine Hesselberg

The Father of punk

NeverMind mindthe theBollocks Bollocks Never - Released 1977

oen år etter å ha blitt kastet ut av kunstskolen han

asjon i England. Det spekuleres den dag i dag om dette kun

Man ser med dette at det var det å nå ut til publikummet med

gikk på, for å ha ledet et studentoppgjør startet

var et image bandet tok på seg og at bandet kun var et stort

dette budskapet som drev han, både før og under samarbei-

Jamie Reid, med flere andre studenter, The Subur-

pr stunt, men uansett om dette var tilfellet eller ikke kan man

det med Sex Pistols, noe som resulterte i arbeider som i dag

ban Printing press hvor de trykket veldig radikale,

med hånden på hjerte si at dette var holdninger Jamie Reid

ses på som ”det som kjennetegner punken”. Kontroversielle

anarkistiske og situasjonistisk materiale som hjalp

sto for. Før han startet samarbeidet med Sex Pistols hadde

og provoserende uttrykk ble designet og enkelte ganger ble

bl.a. kvinnebevegelsen og the black movement. De hadde ikke

han allerede ambisjoner om sosiale og politiske endringer i

platedesignet til og med forbudt å trykke, noe som resulterte

penger, men måtte produsere stoff fort, noe som førte til at

samfunnet, noe som også ble en viktig faktor og den største

i at cd’ene ikke ble solgt. Med det ser man at designet til Jamie

de tok i bruk det de hadde og det som var billig rundt dem.

inspirasjonskilden da det visuelle knyttet til bandet skulle de-

Reid har hatt stor betydning for bandet, og den dag i dag er

Det var dermed her Jamie etablerte hele utseende som se-

signes. Jamie Reid sa på et intervju med The Guardian:

det ikke mange som kan tenke på punk uten å tenke på Dron-

nere skulle skulle bli punk; røft utklippede bokstaver fra aviser, bruken av gamle bilder og colage-teknikken.

ning Elizabeth’s piercede leppe! ”Punk was part of a story that had been going on for the whole of

Jamie Reid og McLaren hadde holdt kontakt siden Croydon

the century, if not longer - it was no more than an important bit of

Art School og i 1975 tok McLaren kontakt med Reid for å få

that story in Britain. I mean, that’s where I was coming from, and

han med på et prosjekt i London, altså Sex Pistols.

the move into the punk thing was a sort of disillusionment with the

The Sex Pistols hadde en veldig samfunnskritisk holdning, og

whole over-intellectualization of what happened with the Situation-

med sanger som Anarchy in the U.K. og God save the queen

ist movement and the politics of the ‘70s.

forstår man at de var svært kritiske til datidens politiske situ-

It was an attempt to take those movements into popular culture”

XTC’s album “Go 2” released 1978, designed by Storm Thorgeson