Alan Fletcher: Fifty years of graphic work (and play)

Author: Gavin Roberts (Senior Designer)
Date: 18 Dec 2009

Categories: greensplash articles Print design articles

The work (and play) of the designer Alan Fletcher has always amazed and inspired me in equal measure ever since I picked up his weighty book of thoughts, art and whimsy, ‘The Art of Looking Sideways’. The book was written with no beginning and no end and was intended to be read as a source of inspiration, whereby the reader could open it at any random page and find something of interest to spark the creative process.

Not long after I discovered his work in 2006 I read about his untimely death in the pages of the Daily Telegraph, where he was described as "the most highly regarded graphic designer of his generation, and probably one of the most prolific". For the next few weeks the blogs of a multitude of design outlets were filled with testimonials to both the man and his work.

Soon after Fletcher’s death a retrospective of his work was shown at the Design Museum in London, showcasing work from the design firm he founded in 1962 - Fletcher/Forbes/Gill, which later became the world renowned agency Pentagram, through to the highly personal and self driven projects of his final years. With my interest in Fletcher’s work piqued I visited the Design Museum’s exhibition. I found the exhibition entertaining and inspirational as well as historically significant as through Fletcher’s work it highlighted the evolution of the British Design Industry from the late 1950s to the mid 2000s. The core elements that typically informed the most effective and creative of Fletcher’s works were the use of subtle visual twists and a clean tactile finish. His work was the quintessential example of original and professional design with both intellectual depth and broad aesthetic appeal.

The work on display was highly inspiring and gave me confidence to explore design ideas without fear. It is often said that the difference between a designer and an artist is the brief. Whereas an artist is essentially communicating their own thoughts a designer finds ways of communicating the thoughts and ideas of others. Alan Fletcher was one of only a handful of designers that bridge that gap.

His work was a result of his experimentation and play as one would inform the other.

I was reminded of that first contact with the work of Alan Fletcher upon hearing of a second retrospective of his work, this time located at the Manchester-based museum Cube. The exhibition will run from 22^nd Jan 2010 until 3^rd April 2010. As an example of just how good design can be and how influence can be found in the unlikeliest of places I would highly recommend anyone with an interest in art and design visit the exhibition and discover for themselves just how good visual communication can be.

Find out more about the exhibition on Alex Fletcher.

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