Saville 027

Posted by Luke Dorny on or about February 17th, 2020 before heading west.

Peter Saville has an eye for design.

dazzle ships — OMD’s Dazzle Ships cassette cover 1983

In the last several years I have really come to appreciate the form factor and canvas that is the album cover. That much is clear to me, which is why the shape of a square for art and design is a favorite of mine.

At some point I finally discovered that one man and his design firm were responsible for a large portion of album covers that I saw growing up, and the list of covers to his credit is staggering.

Factory

I don’t know Mr. Saville in person but I’ve known of his work for a while, and I’m still piecing together my understanding of his career. It is most impressive.

Starting in the late ’70s Peter Saville & Associates produced a body of work from there on out that is a compelling body of work. From Factory, doing work specifically on the band Joy Division, to Roxy Music, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, Depeche Mode, Pulp, David Byrne, David Bowie, Suede, and several other top bands of the era (naturally including what would later become New Order), Peter Saville & Associates rocked our design world. A factory of design.

Art & Design

With a client list that long, imagine all of the flyers, covers, backs, flats, liners, booklets, j-cards and cassette sleeves, promo posters, concert posters, marketing materials, and all that goes with promoting music. Imagine the scale of work. Then imagine all of the work that never saw the light of day.

I would very much like to see their designs on a massive scale at an installation. It would be a fantastic display of skill and talent. London’s Design Museum had an installation back in 2003, to which Mr. Saville created an accompanying design book for the show, and New Order recorded a soundtrack for the event.