Neville Brody

Neville Brody

In this essay I will be analyzing the works of a 20^th Century designer/artist who is famous for his work in every conceivable field of design and art, whether it is, graphic designing, brand strategy, art direction or typography. Neville Brody is known to be a man who has always pushed boundaries and never conformed to the norm. He has been a rebel in his strive to bring out the most unconventional designs that would make people think. His work is influenced by the era he was schooled in, the social/political events that transpired at that time as well as the wave of modernism and post modernism. Although he has always tried not to be stereotyped, his style and art is well recognized due to the influence of his era.

Neville Brody is known to be a man who has always pushed boundaries; his mission is to always give people something to think about in the form of design and art, but to know what makes him what he is today we must look into where he began his journey.

Neville Brody started off his education right from the beginning from a fine art view point. He studied A- level Art and then went on to do a Fine Art foundation course at Hornsey College of Art, which is now part of Middle Sex University.

In 1976, Brody started a three year B.A. course in graphics at the London College of Printing. It was here that he started showing some of his unconventional methods. 

In 1977 the social scene in London had shifted to “punk rock” and this was what influenced Brody more than anything else. In his own words Brody says in an interview “Punk was probably the most influential thing that happened to me in London”. The rise of punk was like a gateway for Brody to experiment and at one point in time he was almost expelled from his college for creating a politically incorrect piece of work in which he had put the Queen’s head sideways on a postage stamp [Picture 1]. Here were the beginnings of someone who was not afraid to push the limits. Although the energy of punk was a huge influence, it was not the only thing that was a source of motivation for Brody, Dadaism and Pop Art were also an important part, as, the comparison of the two were the basis of his first year thesis. This along with the new thriving music scene in London at that time was also vital; the independent record labels that were emerging were a way for designers like Brody to experiment with all that they had learned. His graphic design career started with record cover designs, Cabaret Voltaire is a good example. However, he is most known for his work on “The Face” magazine (1981-1986), Arena magazine (1987-1990), and his introduction of the new look for The Guardian and The Observer.

The Queen's head sideways on  postage stamp.

One of Cabaret Voltaire's record covers
designed by Brody.

"The face" magazine and "Arena" magazine.

"The face" magazine.

Using all the influences he had come across during the early 20^th Century, Brody used all sorts of graphics and challenged the conventional thinking of the form of letters and fonts by mixing them up and using plenty icons to convey messages. One of his many projects also includes the redesign of the times in November 2006 with the creation of a new font called “Times Modern”, the first new font at the newspaper since it introduced Times New Roman in 1932. He, among all other things, was also appointed as the new Head of Communication Art and Design Department at the Royal College of Art in 2011.

He has been given all these accolades due to his style of work and honesty in presenting his art. He was one of the few who broke out of the conventional and made an impact on the stuffy world of British Graphic Design in the early 1980’s. 

This link is for a list of Brody's typefaces,That's quite an interesting list.!

http://www.myfonts.com/person/Neville_Brody/

The effect of punk can still be scene in his work today, like the design he made for a magazine which was nicknamed “A Blank Canvas”, his idea was to have an uncluttered space, a visual effect that was not polluted by a million things, a pure experience. With ideas that are as novel and pure as that one. Can’t wonder why Brody is the graphic designer with a free spirit.

"A blank Canvas"

"A blank canvas"

Although he is from the era of punk and Dadaism and is hugely influenced by these ideas, he is not behind in today’s technological ways. He has been working on the Mac for quite some time now and uses it to create his masterpieces. He is also known to give support to the new generation of young artists who are not shy of presenting experimental designs.

Although he has designed the front cover for V&A’s Magazine dedicated to its new Post- Modernism exhibition in 2011, he doesn’t see himself as a post-modernist. 

He has said in an interview on his front cover and Post-Modernist movement in general, “For me, Post Modernism felt like a kind of facade built to cover over the cracks of a divided world, a surface of plucked effects and stylistic devices emptied of meaning, an extrusion of hollow traces and flat outlines forcing 2D into apparent depth. I was never a Post-Modernist, rather a Modernist exploring humanist lines of enquiry in the collapsing world behind a wall of decoration.” His comment is quite amusing as he tries to smartly explain the thinking behind the design while distancing himself from its theme.

Brody has always been a free thinker and has always believed in pushing people to think. He feels like his work or any art work or design should instigate people to think beyond the norms. He always strives to have people think twice about what they are doing. He believes that visual communication should be an open-ended process not a monologue. His radical thinking is what sets him apart from many who are in the race of just delivering a product.

His legacy is vast, his ideas unconventional, his work is revered all over the world, he is a man that has proven time and time again that designing needs the passion of experimenting with new ideas and his main idea behind all his work is simple, “I think the objects I leave behind are not the legacy I’m interested in. It’s whether I can leave behind a thought process.”