We are living through some decidedly grim times right now – politically, economically and emotionally. Lurching from one disaster to the next, with Brexit, toxic Trumpism, COVID and a new cold war, my usual optimism is being severely challenged. Thankfully, we have Eurovision happening in Liverpool soon (a subject covered elsewhere in this blog) and on Friday 17 March we …
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If you just want images, they are below, but before that, we need some context… In my last blog post, I looked back at previous Eurovision Song Contests while we were waiting to hear who the host city would be in 2023. You can read about that HERE. Well… the news is now in, and against all odds, or certainly …
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It’s official, the Eurovision Song Contest is coming to the United Kingdom in 2023 as a replacement host for Ukraine which tragically remains under attack from Russia. The cities shortlisted have now been published; Birmingham, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle and Sheffield and we’ll find out more in the autumn. These seven cities are all places I’m familiar with and …
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In this episode of Art on your sleeve, I speak with painter and former graphic designer, David Storey. David’s career designing record sleeves began in the 1970s when he landed a job straight out of design school working for Elton John’s Rocket Records. This position provided a crucial platform for him to build a career in the industry leading to …
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I like a challenge. Sometimes doing something completely alien can be just what one needs, especially after a forced period of lockdown inertia. Having said that, I’ve now passed half a century in age and could also argue that post-COVID, the head fuzziness is lingering, and getting back on the bike isn’t quite as easy as it should be. Either …
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This episode of Art on your sleeve is another slight diversion from the usual format and was put together specifically to mark International Podcast Day which falls on 30 September every year. It is “…a celebration of the power of podcasts and a great opportunity to connect with fellow podcasters, podcast listeners, podcast enthusiasts and leaders in the podcasting industry.” Taken from: internationalpodcastday.com …
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Few musical artists have fused audio and visual as artfully as Pet Shop Boys. Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe’s use of design to project the band as a brand has been in evidence almost from day one. With backgrounds respectively in magazine publishing and architecture, it’s no surprise that an eye for visual detail would permeate everything for Tennant and Lowe. …
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Today in the UK we get a fresh design for one of our bank notes and the worthy £50 image is apt for Pride month as it now features a man whose legacy should never be forgotten: Alan Turing – a leading mathematician, developmental biologist, and a pioneer in the field of computer science. Alan Turing helped accelerate Allied efforts to …
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Eurovision fans were made to wait two years due to COVID-19, but what a comeback 2021 proved to be. As usual, my favourites faltered at the first fence or ended up crash diving into the darkest depths of the final scoreboard, but even these things couldn’t distract from the fun and excitement. This month has really felt like we’ve turned …
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In this episode of Art on your sleeve, I speak with graphic designer and art director, Bill Smith. Since the 1970s, Bill has been one of the busiest designers servicing the music industry and he’s worked on so many record sleeves that a book has been published celebrating his amazing portfolio. In the introduction to the show I read from …
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