June 26, 2025 • 39 mins
“Fond affections are never said, they’re only sung in song.” (Michael Allen, Rema Rema)
—
Born in 1957 in County Durham, northeast England, British designer Vaughan Oliver stepped out of a world steeped in tradition and into the nonconformist realm of the music industry.
Growing up in an environment devoid of culture, it was through Surrealism and Pop Art that he discovered modern art, its power to open up his imagination, and provide a doorway to new adventures rich with possibilities.
Inspired by the work of record cover designer Roger Dean, he eventually found his calling at independent record label 4AD, where he worked with many of post-punk’s early pioneers: Cocteau Twins, Modern English, Colourbox, Lush, and of course This Mortal Coil.
In 1982, with school friend and photographer Nigel Grierson, he founded the design studio 23 Envelope, which quickly became a center for creative innovation and revolution.
In 1988, after Oliver and Grierson decided to part ways, Oliver went on to establish V23, fostering creative relationships with a new band of like-minded revolutionaries such as Chris Bigg and Simon Larbalestier, whose collaboration on the Pixies' Minotaur box set would earn them all a Grammy in 2010.
The studio’s work also expanded into TV and film, but Oliver was always at his most content sitting down with a group of students, talking about ideas and football.
He was a generous man, a loving father, a dedicated teacher, and an inspiration for generations of designers and musicians.
After he died in 2019 at age 62, his legacy continued through his wife, Lee, who helped establish the Vaughan Oliver Graphic Design Scholarship program with Northumbria University and 4AD in 2021.
Vaughan Oliver was a man of vast cerebral intellect with an impeccable sense of comedic timing.
His life’s work was a poetic journey through sight and sound, and his impact on art and culture is still being felt today.
This isn’t a biography. It’s a collage. Of images, of memory, of fond affections. The kind you can’t always say out loud—but you never forget.
Featuring interviews with: Simon Raymonde, musician, founder Bella Union records; Paul West, artist and designer, founder Form; Tim O’Donnell, designer; Tom Murray, filmmaker and musician, founder Tulipomania; Adrian Shaughnessy, author, designer, publisher; Miki Berenyi, songwriter and musician, founder Lush and MB3; Graham Wood, art director and designer, founder Tomato; Jonathan Barnbrook, designer; Chris Bigg, designer. Archival audio: Vaughan Oliver, designer; Nigel Grierson, photographer; Ivo Watts-Russell, founder 4AD Records. Additional contributions from: Malcolm Garrett, designer, founder Assorted iMages; Neville Brody, designer, founder Brody Associates. And with generous support from Lee Widdows, art director, trend consultant, School Academic Lead UCA, Epsom, and keeper of the light.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:04):
That initial 23 envelope of Vaughan and Nigel I still hold
up as the best work he did, or they did.
I just think it was a time and aplace and it was all so
beautiful and so delicate. And it comes down to that
combination of Ivo and Nigel andVaughan all wanting the same
(00:26):
thing. The prolific graphic designer
Vaughan Oliver was a Northern Soul with a heart filled with
passion and a head filled with obscure ideas.
He was a man with the desire to reshape the creative landscape
in his unique, singular vision, convince everyone that his way
was the highway. Adrian Shaughnessy, who wrote
(00:47):
and published an archive of Vaughan Oliver's work, believes
Oliver's stature as a pioneeringforce in the world of graphic
design was about much more than hero worshipping.
I think he stands as an example of how you can be a a designer
with your own vision, your own approach, your own philosophy,
(01:10):
and you can make it work. The traditional view of a
graphic designer is that we all,we're all actors, Whatever our
client wants, we do. But Vaughn did what he did, and
for me, that's always inspirational.
In Part 2 of this two-part episode of Destroy, we learn
more about how a young lad, inspired by the record sleeves
(01:30):
he discovered at his local Woolies, headed South to London
to find fame and fortune at the Independent Record label. 4 ADA
young lad who would go on to make a name for himself in the
years that followed, creating work so visceral and emotionally
driven his impact would be felt for years to come.
The Bella Union founder and former Cocteau Twins bass player
(01:51):
Simon Raymond. His influence is unquestionable.
I think his influence, it's massive, not just on those
raffle speed. You know, his, his artwork and
his style of his artwork was copied by so many people.
And he's still been, you know, the calligraphy, the typography,
(02:13):
the positioning. Of things, his influence, man,
it's going to go on forever and ever and ever.
But as the dark clouds of the 80s recession was starting to
close in, the circles around hishome at 4AD with 23 envelope
were starting to shift musicallyand technologically, And as the
rest of the design profession followed the digital path
(02:34):
forward, Vaughan felt he was being painted into a corner.
Tim O'Donnell, who worked at V23in the early 1990s during this
time, empathize with Oliver's dilemma.
I think one of the things that Vaughn really struggled with the
computer was this oversimplification of it, and it
became a little bit more tediousall the time that I was there.
(02:55):
He really resented it. And as the decade rattled on,
the seismic shifts poured out into the mainstream culture.
In the UK, post punk fractured into new, more romantic, softer
edged offshoots, as well as drugfueled nightclubs filled with
acid house and dance music. Sounds had become more
predictable and more manufactured.
(03:17):
In America, post punk had synthesized into grunge, given
rise to the alternative rock scene.
And in 1987, thrust into this turbulent storm, came a band
from Boston. They were different, their devil
may care attitude oozing with bravado and bombastic overtures.
They were the Pixies before AD. Their music was loud, absurd,
(03:39):
surreal, but also deeply human. Pavone, Oliver.
It was a rousing collision, an impassioned invitation to rewire
his process and move his imagination forward again.
For Cocteau Twins bass player Simon Raymond, V23's work for
the Pixies stood out as being both ground breaking and
revolutionary. That Pixie sleeves have to be
(04:01):
some of the most iconic recklesssleeves in the world.
My name is Richard Smith and I'myour host.
Welcome to destroy. They are Trump rockers raw.
Outrageous and crude. The new craze, they tell them.
More into chaos than anything else.
People. Really.
(04:22):
Don't understand what kids want?Worthless.
Nasty. Now I hear them you.
Have to destroy in order to create.
So Ivo's over there, Deborah is there for me and Ivo's saying
have a listen to this. And it was Pixies as an example.
(04:47):
Come on Pilgrim, he said. What do you think of this?
For Vaughan Oliver, repetition was never an option.
His creativity thrive and the collision of ideas, images and
sounds. At times his approach often
brought disparate elements together in a visual narrative.
For Tomato founder Graham Wood, Vaughan's work was almost
cinematic. Vaughan's ethos was very
(05:10):
textural. It had a musicality to it.
It has poetry to it and it's just shifting filmic thing to
it. It's like the difference between
taking a single still and makinga feature film to me is like he
was he was making feature films.The Pixie surreal madness
mirrored Vaughn's multi layered,multi frame, dark emotional
ambitions and allowed him to open up a part of his mind no
(05:33):
one had ever seen before. As the designer Paul W explains,
the outcome was often both perplexing and moving at the
same time. Some of Vaughan's references
were very dark, like really dark.
He heard a voice and he was he was weaving his visuals to that
(05:55):
voice of the music, which I justfound astounding at times.
The Pixies lyrics were like waking dreams.
Vivid, absurd, impossibly human.Performed, they were a
revelation, a chance to dive deeper into the strange, the
uncanny and the beautifully ambiguous.
They offered a perfect match forhis new way of thinking.
(06:17):
There were so many images in Pixie songs, he said at the
time. It was like a dream.
I never had to take anything literally.
It was also the start of something new, a long
collaboration with the photographer Simon La
Bellastier, whose textured, eerie photographs meshed
perfectly with the band Strange,Poetic and Vaughn's even darker
instinct. Chris Big Borne, Oliver's right
(06:39):
hand for over 20 years, remembers the serendipitous
moment a young photography student walked in the door AT4AD
with a book filled with profoundand arresting imagery.
Simon Loveless, you came in withhis portfolio and it was the
hairy man had already done that shot previously for his his MA
degree show. And Vaughan just went that's it.
(07:04):
That is the Pixies cover, whether you like it or not.
La Bastiere went on to conjure aseries of images that built
parallel narratives alongside the Pixies, music colliding and
colluding with the listener's interpretation.
Gone were the gentle blurs and the spectral whisperers.
Now came images that seared themselves into your memory.
(07:25):
A hairy man, A flamenco dancer. Frozen, gritty dressing rooms
bathed in shadow. A monkey with a Halo.
Images that lingered like incense, full of interpretation,
tension and surreal logic. For Simon Lala Bestiere, it was
an approach based on the same instincts Oliver had been
celebrating for years. We weren't looking to explain
(07:47):
anything, Lala Bestiere once said.
It was about finding an atmosphere, a suggestion,
something just slightly off center.
It was also an opportunity for Oliver's work to become bolder,
more enigmatic, even more obscure.
He leaned further into discomfort.
He leaned even further into confusion.
He played with scale and dramatic brute force, inspiring
(08:11):
his creative right hand, Chris Big, to create calligraphic
typography that twisted and danced around to subliminal,
contorted beats. The emerging visual textures
felt bruised, embattled, beloved.
For Paul W, seeing their work inprogress was divine.
My God, going into the 480 offices when Doolittle was in
(08:33):
production, just seeing Chris's calligraphy absolutely
everywhere. The old layout pads of Chris
gouge away, Monkey gone to heaven, just this incredible
calligraphy. And that's the kind of joy which
never leaves you. It was an enormous step forward
that exploded in serendipitous, unexpected ways in 1988.
His cover for Ultra Vivid Scenesfirst album was more of the same
(08:57):
Chris Big, Paul West and Tim O'Donnell.
It was a massive leap forward. He got a package from a friend
in New York with this gaffer tape on it and that became the
cover of the Ultra Rivet Sea now, but.
Well, you know, there's all these coded messages, that
beautiful silver gaffer tape over there.
You know the toothbrush it. Was sort of like embossed so it
(09:20):
felt like actual. Tape.
The toothbrush is a lightly weird angle.
That, to me, does so much about how it would make these very
interesting pieces out of those very disparate elements.
That to me was a big leap, elevating the everyday or seeing
(09:41):
something and nothing. It's just such a beautiful album
cover. The late 80s continue to be a
transformational period for Oliver, who found himself facing
seismic challenges from all corners of his life.
Nigel Grierson, his closest creative companion and his best
(10:02):
friend from school, departed to pursue fine art.
Undeterred, Vaughan reimagined 23 Envelope in the guise of a
more fluid collective. He simply called it V23A,
Fitting name for someone also fond of acronyms.
It was a fresh start that brought new creative
connections. Mark Atkins, Jim Friedman and
Martin Anderson to name just a few, but each of whom pushed him
(10:24):
further into uncharted territories, something Vaughan
leaned into as Paul West and Adrian Shaughnessy witnessed
first hand. Everybody talks about Vaughan's
style, but of course so many people will help contribute and
bring their own unique take, whether it's layouts, choice of
typeface, etcetera. The book, one of the problems we
had just to make sure we credited everybody and he, he
(10:46):
was great about that. He never hid the fact that maybe
a whole run of sleeves were principally the work of someone
like Mark Atkins. He never hid from that fact.
That was his process to see who he could pull in to his web into
the jaws of the Vaughan Oliver machine.
And somehow what came out was Vaughan Oliver.
And as the 80s rolled into the 90s, it brought a new wave of
(11:09):
admirers from even further afar.Tim O'Donnell, who moved to
London in 91 because his girlfriend said what else do you
have to lose? That was like such a defining
period for me. Every job since has been pretty
boring because, as you can imagine, it's just sort of like,
well, nowhere else brings trace of gin and tonics at 9:30 in the
morning. I don't understand.
(11:30):
But landing his dream job and being part of the legendary V 23
was a nerve wracking experience often filled with immense
trepidation, especially for the young American from New York.
I did feel like the pressure of just like, why are all these
four of these sleeps shit all ofa sudden, right?
They've got this American kid. So I was very anxious to not be
the person who ended this long span of amazing work.
(11:54):
Even still, despite the multiplesteps forward, the 80s also came
with more heartbreak. The Cocteau Twins, Vaughn's
longtime muses, departed 23 envelope and then eventually
4AD. Vaughn was gutted.
Tocto Twins bass player Simon Raymond explains how tensions on
every level forced them into making dramatic changes.
(12:16):
There's no doubt that Vaughan was a massive fan of the bat.
That's incontestable. Whether the band ultimately
agreed with his vision for our music or not, you can't argue
with his passion. He always wanted us to love it
because there'd been a little bit of a fallout and we didn't
end up working with him. I know he was.
(12:37):
Really sad not to continue working with us.
Bravely and without remorse, he handed the torch to someone he
could trust, Paul West. We were in the Alma and I was, I
was talking to Vaughn and Chris and it's just around the table
and, and I can remember I was drinking a pint of Guinness and
I just said to Vaughn, so when is the next Cocktails album
(12:59):
coming out? And Vaughn said when you design
it, it was just such a surreal moment.
But he never commented on the design and to be honest, I never
wanted him to either. Chris Big, who had only assisted
AT23 Envelope, also stepped intoa larger role at B23, taking the
lead on projects with artists such as the Wolfgang Press and
(13:21):
Pale Saints. One of Big's first solo sleeves
was for the album Ignite The Seven Cannons by Indy.
Darlings felt stepping into Vaughan's enormous shoes was the
beginning of a new dawn for eachof them.
They had been through a lot together and Chris Big was
determined to let nothing hold them back.
I worked hard and he could trustme and I made things happen and
(13:45):
I could do things that he couldn't.
I think that's where we responded.
Because you give people an opportunity and they can make a
mess of it, can't they? And flunk it and or get bored of
it or change direction. I was in for the long haul, for
good or for bad. The 23 certainly gave Oliver a
taste of independence, but it came with his struggles too.
(14:06):
He joked with Adrian Shaughnessyabout the difficulties he was
facing. 4AD was no longer at hisside, and for the first time in
a long time, Vaughan had to fendfor himself.
Vaughan had this most wonderful thing in four AD Overwatch
Russell, the perfect partnership.
And then once he called me up and he said then how'd you get
(14:26):
work? I said, what do you mean,
Vaughan? He said, well, you know, I'm not
getting I don't have the four ADthing anymore.
How'd you get work? Actress Big, who was at the
center of it all, also recalls how difficult it was.
When we set up on our own and moved out four AD, it all became
(14:47):
a little bit too serious. Suddenly it was our
responsibility to get work and find work.
Yet regardless of the struggles,Oliver's reputation was starting
to gain. Worldwide recognition
exhibitions became a vital part of how his legacy was framed and
gave him a new found confidence.Designer Jonathan Barbrook
(15:07):
remembers how Oliver struggled initially but eventually found
his own. I remember that he hated
speaking publicly and he was embarrassed about all his work,
but you could see underneath also, he felt like he was worth
a consideration. That's not being arrogant,
that's just realizing you've worked hard and you've actually
done something good. And then there was this medical
(15:27):
change in him where he seemed tosuddenly enjoy it and actually
made me realized that he was worthy of the attention, just
feeling more comfortable with himself.
And that was a great transformation to see him with
that, he sort of relaxed. In France, a landmark for AD
retrospected that landed Paris'sPark Lavallette due to
(15:48):
overwhelming demand, was hailed as a grand recognition of
graphic design. Starting to acquire the status
of art. For Vaughan, it was an
opportunity to frame his work asboth precious and profound.
I mean often asked about it, is it art or try to deal with that
at the. Opening of the exhibition.
So you see the street posters tosort of really straight or
exaggerate the two deceptions ofit, the street.
(16:09):
And then you see the blank wall,the bright white wall with the.
Rock. Frames and.
The corny little. You know, fright images.
It's exaggerating. The preciousness of it, all
things considered, is seen. By the second-half of the
decade, the public attention he was getting was starting to pay
off. Corporations like Sony and the
BBC began to flock to his door. At HA magazine, his grand
(16:33):
artistic vision mesmerized, collaborated and laid a path to
the empathetic network heads of European broadcasters at Canal
Plus, as well as the oak paneledtech temples of America and
Microsoft. And although his ideas sometimes
fell on deaf ears, he revelled in it.
Tim O'Donnell, who was at V 23 during this time, recalls how
Vaughn still approached even themost corporate client with the
(16:55):
same irreverence he always would.
I remember from that was he wentto Los Angeles with Paul
Mcmenamin to do a Microsoft ad. There was a line in the script
that was like, Are you ready? And so Vaughn had an E made out
of red perspex or whatever, and everyone on set was like, what's
happening? But his brain worked that way
(17:16):
with like Word play and stuff. And even though the decade had
started with some uncertainty, the 23 ultimately saw Oliver
push through the pain and embarkon creating a body of work more
tactile and even more experimental, more personal and
even more sensitive, a reflection of his true self that
for some, was often hard to breakthrough.
(17:38):
He puts up this kind of aggressive war and if you
penetrate it, then you're in. If you don't fuck off, you.
That's it. So.
Chris Big Vaughn's personality was often a dichotomy.
Really shy, but really outgoing,incredibly generous, intriguing
person to navigate, you know, having a friendship and working
(18:02):
together and working that out and not taking advantage.
You know, I think I did a few times over the years.
I think he did at times. We worked together for 20 years.
It was a long time. You really get to know someone
really quite well, you know? For those he let in, working
with Vaughn was intimate, intuitive, transformative.
He treated you with the same love and care he bestowed on his
(18:25):
family and close friends. He respected you, loved your
music, and was committed to helping you succeed.
Lush vocalist and guitarist Mickey Bereni remembers this
vividly. He would have real observations
about the music, you know, and he clearly would listen to it
properly. He had thoughts about it, and
that was what he would use for creating the sleeves.
(18:45):
And I think not only is that incredibly flattering, but it's
very respectful. He made you feel very involved
with it. In many ways, Oliver's
commitment was rare. His ability to understand an
artist's vulnerability was intuitive.
It was also a sensibility that helped shape his ideas for
Lush's 1990 mini album Scar. What Vaughan had come up with,
(19:07):
with these very beautiful pink and mauve colours on the album
sleeve, but with these scratchesdown it.
And he explained it all and said, you know, there's a really
pretty delicate side to your music, but it's got that kind of
scratchiness and sort of edginess to it.
And so that was literally where we got the album title.
Having someone like Vaughan actually listen to your music
(19:29):
and not patronize you and totally take it seriously, that
was really important to me. This sense of emotional
commitment came because he was vulnerable to someone who
understood what it felt like to wear your heart on your sleeve.
This is what set Vaughan apart. He didn't treat design as a
(19:50):
surface. It was a translation, a kind of
spiritual echo of the Sonic glory trapped inside.
Over the final years of the 90s unfolding, Vaughan Oliver stood
at a creative crossroads. The decade had brought acclaim,
the publication of Visceral Pleasures, this Rimey River, his
first solo show in the US, but also further rupture with the
(20:10):
sale OF4AD fracturing a key partnership.
Rather than retreat, he pushed outward, embracing new realms.
The Breeders, David Sylvian. Fine art, theatre and Fashion.
He became a mentor, his workshops and lectures inspiring
a new generation of admirers. Far from fading, this was
reinvention, fuel for two rich decades ahead, marked by
(20:34):
exhibitions in Tokyo, Athens andBarcelona, a Grammy Award
teaching posts, the publication of his archive, and what would
be a final, resonant return to the Pixies.
OK there. Sorry for the interruption, but
if you're enjoying the show, please support us on Patreon or
follow us on Instagram at Destroypoint Podcast.
(20:55):
Now back to the show. He was wonderful with students.
Most of the studio personnel that went through 23 envelope or
B23, most of them came straight from college.
He was so good like that. He was so sweet and so generous
(21:15):
and really bright and interesting and introduced me to
things that I've never heard of and you know.
The designer Vaughn Oliver lovednothing more than sitting down
with a group of students and having a good chin wag about
Werner Herzog and who should have won the FA Cup final.
(21:36):
Embracing his natural ability toconnect and inspire.
In 2014 born Oliver returned spiritary to his roots, taking
on a full time role at the University for the Creative Arts
in Epsom, Surrey. Surrounded by rolling hills or
green pastures and Mesolithic thatched cottages, it was here
he became what Terry Dowling hadonce been to him.
(21:56):
A catalyst. Not a lecturer who dictated
technique, but someone who couldunlock something deeper.
For the 23 collaborator Tim O'Donnell is spoke to Olivers
commitment to fostering talent who never felt judged.
Honestly, it's sort of informed how I try to work with people
now in terms of just letting them get on with it and stopping
(22:19):
by and giving a little nudge here and there.
The creative director who asks you to get out of the chair and
does it themselves, Like I've just never understood it, you
know? Oliver's teaching style was also
slightly unorthodox. Like Dowling, Vaughan also
wasn't interested in the traditional grid based design
philosophy. He also didn't care for
symmetry, classicism or formality.
(22:40):
The students often found themselves elbow deep in
ephemera, fragments of detritus.He encouraged risk, the tactile
nature of printed matter, errors, and he was always, as
always, willing to stop and listen.
For Graham Wood, Vaughan's approach was both informed and
instinctual. He was one of those people who
absolutely knew what the correctway to do things was down to
(23:06):
this degree. But because he knew the sort of
processes and approaches and techniques, that's why he can
fuck it up. That's why he was able to then
look for the places where thingswould be misregistered or would
be run on sheets and how you'd deal with that.
He also didn't teach typography in the traditional sense the
him. It was a means by which to
articulate an elaborate visual haiku, he once joked.
(23:30):
I can't believe I'm in charge ofa typography course.
I don't even use a computer. It wasn't false modesty.
It was the truth. For Tom Murray, who worked with
V23 on the cover for Tulip Romania's first album This
Gilded Age, his experience showed a side of Oliver few
would ever know. We just let him do whatever he
wanted. He would just send us sketches
(23:52):
and there was never any point where we were asking for any
changes. He certainly wasn't full of
himself in any way, and that wasreally just an interesting thing
to meet somebody who was at the top of their game and so easy to
work with. With Tulip Romania and V23, it
was also an induction into a fruitful collaboration that
(24:13):
would bring them together again a few years later for the Pixies
Anniversary show at London's Roundhouse in 2018.
Charlie and I and he had conversations about how we don't
use computers really as replacements for cameras.
We don't really use them to generate the imagery.
We talked a lot about making music videos with him.
(24:34):
Earl and I agreed to make multi projection stage backdrops with
him for those shows. For Tom and his partner Cheryl
Beelova, it was a creative deep dive into the unexpected.
It was also, tragically, the last time they spoke.
When the show was happening at the Roundhouse, we went over and
met him and they had a video before the show that had been
(24:55):
made about Vaughn. And he was joking the night we
were there with him that he was the opening act.
Because it was like everybody's standing there waiting for the
Pixies and there's like 15 minute video about Vaughn and we
were standing next to him and hewas laughing like through the
whole thing. And then he was going to
introduce us to everybody. But he got ill and he wasn't
well enough to stay past the endof the show.
(25:23):
When I heard the news I was awake all night thinking of
Vaughn about when we first met in the first year of college.
When I went to see him at 4AD inAlma Rd., he was very kind and
beautifully encouraging, as I know he wants to so many others,
all students of the ineffable. When I heard he'd gone, I went
for a walk along the seashore. Somewhere in between a change of
state, solid into liquid into air to think of form.
(25:48):
It was impossible to foresee, but in 2019 Oliver was to design
his last Pixies cover Beneath the Eerie, a final collaboration
with his muse like Co conspirator the photographer
Simon Lau Bellastier. The album Songs explored themes
of loss, darkness and the macabre, and the cover image
(26:08):
reflected that mood, the visual representation of the album's
darker and more experimental side.
I wanted to intermingle the spirit world with life and
death, the mystical and more surreal landscapes.
Dixie's vocalist and guitarist Black Francis said Oliver.
It was his final visual contribution for the band,
embracing their lyrical imagery without literal translations,
(26:32):
turning the songs to visual dreamscapes.
There is no doubt that throughout his entire life,
Vaughan Oliver always strove to create an atmosphere, a sacred
kind of chaos where people couldexperiment, fail, and find their
individual voice. He was demanding, for sure, but
he also was willing to give others the opportunity to shine
(26:53):
in his light, always free of guilt.
Vaughan was an incredible benefactor and an incredible
creative force. Bourne really cared.
Vaughan reached out. Vaughan said.
Yes, come in when you're 22 or whatever.
You just think you're censor of your own little universe.
But my memories of Vaughan were just one that you're one of the
(27:17):
most powerful influences I've ever had.
That spirit of spontaneity, imperfection and intimacy wasn't
just in his work, it was also inthe way he lived.
And when Vaughan Oliver passed away in December 2019, a bright
light went out in the design world that had been shining for
over 40 years. Heart of a soul so young and so
(27:40):
fervent switched from being present to being far away, like
a distant star far in the sky. His death rippled through the
music industry, the design community and the generations of
artists who had grown up with his sleeves propped up like
portals against their teddy bedsit walls.
I was just thinking Born just was on his own satellite and in
(28:03):
a sense he still is. He's still so he himself and
independent. He is the spirit of
independence. According to designer and
Assorted images founder Malcolm Garrett Vaughan, Oliver was the
most inspirational of record sleep designers.
The emotional power contained within his layered imagery
(28:24):
captured the essence of the music in a uniquely transcendent
way. In a special tribute, Simon
Raymond outlined Olivers legacy in clear, precise words.
It goes without saying what a hugely influential artist he
was, but more importantly he wasa wonderful father, a great man,
very funny, with impeccable taste in music, art and cinema.
(28:48):
His work in the 80s and 90s changed design forever.
In the years since, Vaughn's wife Lee, a designer and
educator herself, has worked tirelessly to ensure his legacy
lives on. In 2021, alongside Northumbria
University and Four AD, she helped launch the Vaughan Oliver
Graphic Design Scholarships to support emerging artists from
(29:10):
the Northeast, right where Oliver's journey began.
When asked why, Lee said Vaughanwas a huge inspiration to so
many designers and artists. We hope this scholarship helps
support the next generation who follow in his footsteps.
Among his peers, few had felt that kind of inspiration more
deeply than the design of Jonathan Bombruck, who was a fan
(29:31):
of Oliver from day one. To me, he's one of the best
graphic designs in this geographic design because of the
way he so sympathetically used images and texts together
before. The start.
Of the computer, he was so far ahead of everybody else, it was
absolutely unbelievable. Because Vaughn Oliver wasn't
(29:53):
just a designer. He was a myth maker, a wise and
visionary seer, a believer in possibilities, a master of
subtle wit. He made records feel like
special gifts, objects of desire, a dream come true, like
modern day heirlooms. Like something to cherish, to
touch, to puzzle over, to shoe gaze and wonder.
(30:13):
How did you know what to say so consciously?
Yet his work never answered. It only answered your
interpretation, your relationship with the music, an
answer that simply helped suggest its meaning.
For Barnbrook, Oliver was a torch bearer for the DIY
attitude formulated by 70s punk.I think Vaughn was an actual
(30:39):
success to Jamie Reed. You knew there was a particular
form in a particular way of expressing the message and I
think Vaughn was the successor to Jamie in that individual
style which motivated a generation.
But it wasn't just in the work, it was also in his philosophy.
(31:01):
I believe that chaos, the cut upambiguity, the intuition and the
emotional spontaneity were not just valid but essential.
But Barnbrook and many others Vaughan Oliver made space for a
different kind of designer, one who could be poetic, subversive,
and sincere all at the same time.
Vaughan is a good example of someone who hasn't really he
(31:26):
cared about the principles of you've got to go and get a job,
you have to train for industry. He created their own job and his
own world and people were excited about it.
And I hope he's a good example to students and that if you
follow your passion, you follow your instinct, it can happen for
you. Yet Oliver left behind no
(31:51):
manifesto, no how to guide, no guiding principles or rules,
just a body of work and a formidable way of working, a
refusal to settle for anything less than a slipping glimpse of
wonder, a commitment to the beautiful mistake.
And in doing so, he built something truly timeless, a
(32:11):
visual legacy that still whispers wordlessly, hauntingly
movingly, long after he's gone. What he taught me was this
insatiable desire to surprise himself.
Really it pushed the boundaries and not be lazy and push
yourself and experiment. In the words of his friend and
(32:42):
fellow non conformist British designer Neville Brody, Vaughan,
Oliver was one of our most influential, inspiring and
individual designers. More of an artist than a
designer, he invented and openednew worlds and narratives for
each of us to enter with. Tactile details met degraded
physicality, raw decaying surfaces, encountered delicate
(33:03):
natural objects in a kind of fetishistic and ritualistic
mesh. Everything bound together by an
obsessively exquisite and detailed typographic poetry,
iconic and forever evolving. In the next, in a few weeks, we
will be launching a brand new season called Voices of Protest.
(33:25):
It's going to be a little different, but we have a really
great lineup of really interesting guests.
Follow us on Instagram at Destroy Punk Podcast for more
details. Now back to the show.
So much of Vaughn Oliver's work was about abstract threads of
ideas that inferred a hidden narrative.
(33:47):
A strand of hair, a trace of texture, a shadow across a face.
He only ever gave us glimpses rather than answers, symbols
rather than signs. And maybe that's what grief is
too. Not something to resolve, but
something to sit with. A half remembered dream, a
healing wound, a vision that stays with you.
(34:08):
Even now, long after his passing, you can still feel it,
That atmosphere, the music, the moon and the melody and the
rhythm. In his art, he showed us that
graphic design doesn't have to explain, it can haunt chillingly
to depict stories wrapped in vast, elaborate fantasies.
Fond affections, sunburst and snow blind mortal coils of
(34:31):
treasure. Songs to the sirens, Lush, ultra
vivid scenes. Morning glory, the heart of the
sunrise. Where is my mind?
Yes, it'll end in tears forever.His name is alive.
Have you ever stood in a record shop holding a cocktail Twins LP
or a Pixie CD and wondered exactly what you were looking
(34:54):
at? You were already halfway there.
That was the magic of Vaughn Oliver, a Northern Soul, a
visual poet, A generous teacher,and a reluctant artist who made
music visible for all of us and everyone who reveled in his
light. Chris Pig, graphic designer.
(35:54):
Tom Murray, Cheryl Gulliver and I are tulipomania.
We write and record music and make film and animation
together. Jonathan Bomberg.
Graphic Designer. Mickey Boreni Lash Mickey Boreni
Trio. Paul W Graphic designer and
landscape artist. Daydream Shaughnessy Graphic
(36:15):
Designer I teach designer, I write about graphic design and
also a publisher. Tim O'Donnell, a graphic
designer. Graham Wood, designer.
Simon Raymond Ballet Union This episode of Destroy was written
(36:38):
and produced by B Right Back Studios with the generous
support of Lee Widows. A special thanks to everyone who
shared their time, their memories, and their love for
Vaughan. Music for this episode was
composed by Tokyo Iconic. To see some of the artwork
mentioned in this show, as well as music videos and archival
interviews, please visit destroypunkpodcast.com.
(37:00):
You can also support our show via Patreon or follow us on
Instagram at Destroy Punk Podcast, or simply share this
episode with someone who still believes in the tactile and the
oblique. Here I end this week.
(37:30):
Box 3. Boom 5.
This has been another episode ofDestroy.
Thank you for listening and thank you Vaughn, for
everything. My name is Richard Smith and I'm
(37:51):
your host. I'm a filmmaker and art director
and Once Upon a time I was part of the big 80s.
I designed record covers for Depeche Mode.
I danced with Bono, discussed art with Mick Jagger and drank
tea with Susie Sue. I also grew up during those
turbulent times in England in the late 70s and was driven by
the Do it Yourself ethos with punk.
I obsessed over bands like Joy Division and New Order and went
(38:12):
on to work for the album cover designer Peter Savile.
I believe that year, that momentin 1976 when a bunch of foul
mouthed yobs cursed and swore onnational television, changed the
future of culture forever and iswhat brought us to where we are
today. So where do we go from here?
Will emerging new technologies be the catalyst that tears down
the walls of mediocrity, throwing culture and society
(38:34):
into chaos and revolution again?We'll have to wait and see.
This has been another episode ofDestroy.
Thank you for listening destroyisaberightbackstudiosproductionlearnmore@berightbackstudios.com
and please tune in again for another episode of Destroy the
Influence of Punk podcast wherever you listen or download.
(38:59):
The archival audio used in this episode of Destroy is taken from
a variety of unknown sources. Every effort has been made to
use these clips responsibly concerning their original
creators for the purpose of education, commentary and
tribute. All rights remain with the
original rights holders.
That initial 23 envelope of Vaughan and Nigel I still hold
up as the best work he did, or they did.
I just think it was a time and aplace and it was all so
beautiful and so delicate. And it comes down to that
combination of Ivo and Nigel andVaughan all wanting the same
(00:26):
thing. The prolific graphic designer
Vaughan Oliver was a Northern Soul with a heart filled with
passion and a head filled with obscure ideas.
He was a man with the desire to reshape the creative landscape
in his unique, singular vision, convince everyone that his way
was the highway. Adrian Shaughnessy, who wrote
(00:47):
and published an archive of Vaughan Oliver's work, believes
Oliver's stature as a pioneeringforce in the world of graphic
design was about much more than hero worshipping.
I think he stands as an example of how you can be a a designer
with your own vision, your own approach, your own philosophy,
(01:10):
and you can make it work. The traditional view of a
graphic designer is that we all,we're all actors, Whatever our
client wants, we do. But Vaughn did what he did, and
for me, that's always inspirational.
In Part 2 of this two-part episode of Destroy, we learn
more about how a young lad, inspired by the record sleeves
(01:30):
he discovered at his local Woolies, headed South to London
to find fame and fortune at the Independent Record label. 4 ADA
young lad who would go on to make a name for himself in the
years that followed, creating work so visceral and emotionally
driven his impact would be felt for years to come.
The Bella Union founder and former Cocteau Twins bass player
(01:51):
Simon Raymond. His influence is unquestionable.
I think his influence, it's massive, not just on those
raffle speed. You know, his, his artwork and
his style of his artwork was copied by so many people.
And he's still been, you know, the calligraphy, the typography,
(02:13):
the positioning. Of things, his influence, man,
it's going to go on forever and ever and ever.
But as the dark clouds of the 80s recession was starting to
close in, the circles around hishome at 4AD with 23 envelope
were starting to shift musicallyand technologically, And as the
rest of the design profession followed the digital path
(02:34):
forward, Vaughan felt he was being painted into a corner.
Tim O'Donnell, who worked at V23in the early 1990s during this
time, empathize with Oliver's dilemma.
I think one of the things that Vaughn really struggled with the
computer was this oversimplification of it, and it
became a little bit more tediousall the time that I was there.
(02:55):
He really resented it. And as the decade rattled on,
the seismic shifts poured out into the mainstream culture.
In the UK, post punk fractured into new, more romantic, softer
edged offshoots, as well as drugfueled nightclubs filled with
acid house and dance music. Sounds had become more
predictable and more manufactured.
(03:17):
In America, post punk had synthesized into grunge, given
rise to the alternative rock scene.
And in 1987, thrust into this turbulent storm, came a band
from Boston. They were different, their devil
may care attitude oozing with bravado and bombastic overtures.
They were the Pixies before AD. Their music was loud, absurd,
(03:39):
surreal, but also deeply human. Pavone, Oliver.
It was a rousing collision, an impassioned invitation to rewire
his process and move his imagination forward again.
For Cocteau Twins bass player Simon Raymond, V23's work for
the Pixies stood out as being both ground breaking and
revolutionary. That Pixie sleeves have to be
(04:01):
some of the most iconic recklesssleeves in the world.
My name is Richard Smith and I'myour host.
Welcome to destroy. They are Trump rockers raw.
Outrageous and crude. The new craze, they tell them.
More into chaos than anything else.
People. Really.
(04:22):
Don't understand what kids want?Worthless.
Nasty. Now I hear them you.
Have to destroy in order to create.
So Ivo's over there, Deborah is there for me and Ivo's saying
have a listen to this. And it was Pixies as an example.
(04:47):
Come on Pilgrim, he said. What do you think of this?
For Vaughan Oliver, repetition was never an option.
His creativity thrive and the collision of ideas, images and
sounds. At times his approach often
brought disparate elements together in a visual narrative.
For Tomato founder Graham Wood, Vaughan's work was almost
cinematic. Vaughan's ethos was very
(05:10):
textural. It had a musicality to it.
It has poetry to it and it's just shifting filmic thing to
it. It's like the difference between
taking a single still and makinga feature film to me is like he
was he was making feature films.The Pixie surreal madness
mirrored Vaughn's multi layered,multi frame, dark emotional
ambitions and allowed him to open up a part of his mind no
(05:33):
one had ever seen before. As the designer Paul W explains,
the outcome was often both perplexing and moving at the
same time. Some of Vaughan's references
were very dark, like really dark.
He heard a voice and he was he was weaving his visuals to that
(05:55):
voice of the music, which I justfound astounding at times.
The Pixies lyrics were like waking dreams.
Vivid, absurd, impossibly human.Performed, they were a
revelation, a chance to dive deeper into the strange, the
uncanny and the beautifully ambiguous.
They offered a perfect match forhis new way of thinking.
(06:17):
There were so many images in Pixie songs, he said at the
time. It was like a dream.
I never had to take anything literally.
It was also the start of something new, a long
collaboration with the photographer Simon La
Bellastier, whose textured, eerie photographs meshed
perfectly with the band Strange,Poetic and Vaughn's even darker
instinct. Chris Big Borne, Oliver's right
(06:39):
hand for over 20 years, remembers the serendipitous
moment a young photography student walked in the door AT4AD
with a book filled with profoundand arresting imagery.
Simon Loveless, you came in withhis portfolio and it was the
hairy man had already done that shot previously for his his MA
degree show. And Vaughan just went that's it.
(07:04):
That is the Pixies cover, whether you like it or not.
La Bastiere went on to conjure aseries of images that built
parallel narratives alongside the Pixies, music colliding and
colluding with the listener's interpretation.
Gone were the gentle blurs and the spectral whisperers.
Now came images that seared themselves into your memory.
(07:25):
A hairy man, A flamenco dancer. Frozen, gritty dressing rooms
bathed in shadow. A monkey with a Halo.
Images that lingered like incense, full of interpretation,
tension and surreal logic. For Simon Lala Bestiere, it was
an approach based on the same instincts Oliver had been
celebrating for years. We weren't looking to explain
(07:47):
anything, Lala Bestiere once said.
It was about finding an atmosphere, a suggestion,
something just slightly off center.
It was also an opportunity for Oliver's work to become bolder,
more enigmatic, even more obscure.
He leaned further into discomfort.
He leaned even further into confusion.
He played with scale and dramatic brute force, inspiring
(08:11):
his creative right hand, Chris Big, to create calligraphic
typography that twisted and danced around to subliminal,
contorted beats. The emerging visual textures
felt bruised, embattled, beloved.
For Paul W, seeing their work inprogress was divine.
My God, going into the 480 offices when Doolittle was in
(08:33):
production, just seeing Chris's calligraphy absolutely
everywhere. The old layout pads of Chris
gouge away, Monkey gone to heaven, just this incredible
calligraphy. And that's the kind of joy which
never leaves you. It was an enormous step forward
that exploded in serendipitous, unexpected ways in 1988.
His cover for Ultra Vivid Scenesfirst album was more of the same
(08:57):
Chris Big, Paul West and Tim O'Donnell.
It was a massive leap forward. He got a package from a friend
in New York with this gaffer tape on it and that became the
cover of the Ultra Rivet Sea now, but.
Well, you know, there's all these coded messages, that
beautiful silver gaffer tape over there.
You know the toothbrush it. Was sort of like embossed so it
(09:20):
felt like actual. Tape.
The toothbrush is a lightly weird angle.
That, to me, does so much about how it would make these very
interesting pieces out of those very disparate elements.
That to me was a big leap, elevating the everyday or seeing
(09:41):
something and nothing. It's just such a beautiful album
cover. The late 80s continue to be a
transformational period for Oliver, who found himself facing
seismic challenges from all corners of his life.
Nigel Grierson, his closest creative companion and his best
(10:02):
friend from school, departed to pursue fine art.
Undeterred, Vaughan reimagined 23 Envelope in the guise of a
more fluid collective. He simply called it V23A,
Fitting name for someone also fond of acronyms.
It was a fresh start that brought new creative
connections. Mark Atkins, Jim Friedman and
Martin Anderson to name just a few, but each of whom pushed him
(10:24):
further into uncharted territories, something Vaughan
leaned into as Paul West and Adrian Shaughnessy witnessed
first hand. Everybody talks about Vaughan's
style, but of course so many people will help contribute and
bring their own unique take, whether it's layouts, choice of
typeface, etcetera. The book, one of the problems we
had just to make sure we credited everybody and he, he
(10:46):
was great about that. He never hid the fact that maybe
a whole run of sleeves were principally the work of someone
like Mark Atkins. He never hid from that fact.
That was his process to see who he could pull in to his web into
the jaws of the Vaughan Oliver machine.
And somehow what came out was Vaughan Oliver.
And as the 80s rolled into the 90s, it brought a new wave of
(11:09):
admirers from even further afar.Tim O'Donnell, who moved to
London in 91 because his girlfriend said what else do you
have to lose? That was like such a defining
period for me. Every job since has been pretty
boring because, as you can imagine, it's just sort of like,
well, nowhere else brings trace of gin and tonics at 9:30 in the
morning. I don't understand.
(11:30):
But landing his dream job and being part of the legendary V 23
was a nerve wracking experience often filled with immense
trepidation, especially for the young American from New York.
I did feel like the pressure of just like, why are all these
four of these sleeps shit all ofa sudden, right?
They've got this American kid. So I was very anxious to not be
the person who ended this long span of amazing work.
(11:54):
Even still, despite the multiplesteps forward, the 80s also came
with more heartbreak. The Cocteau Twins, Vaughn's
longtime muses, departed 23 envelope and then eventually
4AD. Vaughn was gutted.
Tocto Twins bass player Simon Raymond explains how tensions on
every level forced them into making dramatic changes.
(12:16):
There's no doubt that Vaughan was a massive fan of the bat.
That's incontestable. Whether the band ultimately
agreed with his vision for our music or not, you can't argue
with his passion. He always wanted us to love it
because there'd been a little bit of a fallout and we didn't
end up working with him. I know he was.
(12:37):
Really sad not to continue working with us.
Bravely and without remorse, he handed the torch to someone he
could trust, Paul West. We were in the Alma and I was, I
was talking to Vaughn and Chris and it's just around the table
and, and I can remember I was drinking a pint of Guinness and
I just said to Vaughn, so when is the next Cocktails album
(12:59):
coming out? And Vaughn said when you design
it, it was just such a surreal moment.
But he never commented on the design and to be honest, I never
wanted him to either. Chris Big, who had only assisted
AT23 Envelope, also stepped intoa larger role at B23, taking the
lead on projects with artists such as the Wolfgang Press and
(13:21):
Pale Saints. One of Big's first solo sleeves
was for the album Ignite The Seven Cannons by Indy.
Darlings felt stepping into Vaughan's enormous shoes was the
beginning of a new dawn for eachof them.
They had been through a lot together and Chris Big was
determined to let nothing hold them back.
I worked hard and he could trustme and I made things happen and
(13:45):
I could do things that he couldn't.
I think that's where we responded.
Because you give people an opportunity and they can make a
mess of it, can't they? And flunk it and or get bored of
it or change direction. I was in for the long haul, for
good or for bad. The 23 certainly gave Oliver a
taste of independence, but it came with his struggles too.
(14:06):
He joked with Adrian Shaughnessyabout the difficulties he was
facing. 4AD was no longer at hisside, and for the first time in
a long time, Vaughan had to fendfor himself.
Vaughan had this most wonderful thing in four AD Overwatch
Russell, the perfect partnership.
And then once he called me up and he said then how'd you get
(14:26):
work? I said, what do you mean,
Vaughan? He said, well, you know, I'm not
getting I don't have the four ADthing anymore.
How'd you get work? Actress Big, who was at the
center of it all, also recalls how difficult it was.
When we set up on our own and moved out four AD, it all became
(14:47):
a little bit too serious. Suddenly it was our
responsibility to get work and find work.
Yet regardless of the struggles,Oliver's reputation was starting
to gain. Worldwide recognition
exhibitions became a vital part of how his legacy was framed and
gave him a new found confidence.Designer Jonathan Barbrook
(15:07):
remembers how Oliver struggled initially but eventually found
his own. I remember that he hated
speaking publicly and he was embarrassed about all his work,
but you could see underneath also, he felt like he was worth
a consideration. That's not being arrogant,
that's just realizing you've worked hard and you've actually
done something good. And then there was this medical
(15:27):
change in him where he seemed tosuddenly enjoy it and actually
made me realized that he was worthy of the attention, just
feeling more comfortable with himself.
And that was a great transformation to see him with
that, he sort of relaxed. In France, a landmark for AD
retrospected that landed Paris'sPark Lavallette due to
(15:48):
overwhelming demand, was hailed as a grand recognition of
graphic design. Starting to acquire the status
of art. For Vaughan, it was an
opportunity to frame his work asboth precious and profound.
I mean often asked about it, is it art or try to deal with that
at the. Opening of the exhibition.
So you see the street posters tosort of really straight or
exaggerate the two deceptions ofit, the street.
(16:09):
And then you see the blank wall,the bright white wall with the.
Rock. Frames and.
The corny little. You know, fright images.
It's exaggerating. The preciousness of it, all
things considered, is seen. By the second-half of the
decade, the public attention he was getting was starting to pay
off. Corporations like Sony and the
BBC began to flock to his door. At HA magazine, his grand
(16:33):
artistic vision mesmerized, collaborated and laid a path to
the empathetic network heads of European broadcasters at Canal
Plus, as well as the oak paneledtech temples of America and
Microsoft. And although his ideas sometimes
fell on deaf ears, he revelled in it.
Tim O'Donnell, who was at V 23 during this time, recalls how
Vaughn still approached even themost corporate client with the
(16:55):
same irreverence he always would.
I remember from that was he wentto Los Angeles with Paul
Mcmenamin to do a Microsoft ad. There was a line in the script
that was like, Are you ready? And so Vaughn had an E made out
of red perspex or whatever, and everyone on set was like, what's
happening? But his brain worked that way
(17:16):
with like Word play and stuff. And even though the decade had
started with some uncertainty, the 23 ultimately saw Oliver
push through the pain and embarkon creating a body of work more
tactile and even more experimental, more personal and
even more sensitive, a reflection of his true self that
for some, was often hard to breakthrough.
(17:38):
He puts up this kind of aggressive war and if you
penetrate it, then you're in. If you don't fuck off, you.
That's it. So.
Chris Big Vaughn's personality was often a dichotomy.
Really shy, but really outgoing,incredibly generous, intriguing
person to navigate, you know, having a friendship and working
(18:02):
together and working that out and not taking advantage.
You know, I think I did a few times over the years.
I think he did at times. We worked together for 20 years.
It was a long time. You really get to know someone
really quite well, you know? For those he let in, working
with Vaughn was intimate, intuitive, transformative.
He treated you with the same love and care he bestowed on his
(18:25):
family and close friends. He respected you, loved your
music, and was committed to helping you succeed.
Lush vocalist and guitarist Mickey Bereni remembers this
vividly. He would have real observations
about the music, you know, and he clearly would listen to it
properly. He had thoughts about it, and
that was what he would use for creating the sleeves.
(18:45):
And I think not only is that incredibly flattering, but it's
very respectful. He made you feel very involved
with it. In many ways, Oliver's
commitment was rare. His ability to understand an
artist's vulnerability was intuitive.
It was also a sensibility that helped shape his ideas for
Lush's 1990 mini album Scar. What Vaughan had come up with,
(19:07):
with these very beautiful pink and mauve colours on the album
sleeve, but with these scratchesdown it.
And he explained it all and said, you know, there's a really
pretty delicate side to your music, but it's got that kind of
scratchiness and sort of edginess to it.
And so that was literally where we got the album title.
Having someone like Vaughan actually listen to your music
(19:29):
and not patronize you and totally take it seriously, that
was really important to me. This sense of emotional
commitment came because he was vulnerable to someone who
understood what it felt like to wear your heart on your sleeve.
This is what set Vaughan apart. He didn't treat design as a
(19:50):
surface. It was a translation, a kind of
spiritual echo of the Sonic glory trapped inside.
Over the final years of the 90s unfolding, Vaughan Oliver stood
at a creative crossroads. The decade had brought acclaim,
the publication of Visceral Pleasures, this Rimey River, his
first solo show in the US, but also further rupture with the
(20:10):
sale OF4AD fracturing a key partnership.
Rather than retreat, he pushed outward, embracing new realms.
The Breeders, David Sylvian. Fine art, theatre and Fashion.
He became a mentor, his workshops and lectures inspiring
a new generation of admirers. Far from fading, this was
reinvention, fuel for two rich decades ahead, marked by
(20:34):
exhibitions in Tokyo, Athens andBarcelona, a Grammy Award
teaching posts, the publication of his archive, and what would
be a final, resonant return to the Pixies.
OK there. Sorry for the interruption, but
if you're enjoying the show, please support us on Patreon or
follow us on Instagram at Destroypoint Podcast.
(20:55):
Now back to the show. He was wonderful with students.
Most of the studio personnel that went through 23 envelope or
B23, most of them came straight from college.
He was so good like that. He was so sweet and so generous
(21:15):
and really bright and interesting and introduced me to
things that I've never heard of and you know.
The designer Vaughn Oliver lovednothing more than sitting down
with a group of students and having a good chin wag about
Werner Herzog and who should have won the FA Cup final.
(21:36):
Embracing his natural ability toconnect and inspire.
In 2014 born Oliver returned spiritary to his roots, taking
on a full time role at the University for the Creative Arts
in Epsom, Surrey. Surrounded by rolling hills or
green pastures and Mesolithic thatched cottages, it was here
he became what Terry Dowling hadonce been to him.
(21:56):
A catalyst. Not a lecturer who dictated
technique, but someone who couldunlock something deeper.
For the 23 collaborator Tim O'Donnell is spoke to Olivers
commitment to fostering talent who never felt judged.
Honestly, it's sort of informed how I try to work with people
now in terms of just letting them get on with it and stopping
(22:19):
by and giving a little nudge here and there.
The creative director who asks you to get out of the chair and
does it themselves, Like I've just never understood it, you
know? Oliver's teaching style was also
slightly unorthodox. Like Dowling, Vaughan also
wasn't interested in the traditional grid based design
philosophy. He also didn't care for
symmetry, classicism or formality.
(22:40):
The students often found themselves elbow deep in
ephemera, fragments of detritus.He encouraged risk, the tactile
nature of printed matter, errors, and he was always, as
always, willing to stop and listen.
For Graham Wood, Vaughan's approach was both informed and
instinctual. He was one of those people who
absolutely knew what the correctway to do things was down to
(23:06):
this degree. But because he knew the sort of
processes and approaches and techniques, that's why he can
fuck it up. That's why he was able to then
look for the places where thingswould be misregistered or would
be run on sheets and how you'd deal with that.
He also didn't teach typography in the traditional sense the
him. It was a means by which to
articulate an elaborate visual haiku, he once joked.
(23:30):
I can't believe I'm in charge ofa typography course.
I don't even use a computer. It wasn't false modesty.
It was the truth. For Tom Murray, who worked with
V23 on the cover for Tulip Romania's first album This
Gilded Age, his experience showed a side of Oliver few
would ever know. We just let him do whatever he
wanted. He would just send us sketches
(23:52):
and there was never any point where we were asking for any
changes. He certainly wasn't full of
himself in any way, and that wasreally just an interesting thing
to meet somebody who was at the top of their game and so easy to
work with. With Tulip Romania and V23, it
was also an induction into a fruitful collaboration that
(24:13):
would bring them together again a few years later for the Pixies
Anniversary show at London's Roundhouse in 2018.
Charlie and I and he had conversations about how we don't
use computers really as replacements for cameras.
We don't really use them to generate the imagery.
We talked a lot about making music videos with him.
(24:34):
Earl and I agreed to make multi projection stage backdrops with
him for those shows. For Tom and his partner Cheryl
Beelova, it was a creative deep dive into the unexpected.
It was also, tragically, the last time they spoke.
When the show was happening at the Roundhouse, we went over and
met him and they had a video before the show that had been
(24:55):
made about Vaughn. And he was joking the night we
were there with him that he was the opening act.
Because it was like everybody's standing there waiting for the
Pixies and there's like 15 minute video about Vaughn and we
were standing next to him and hewas laughing like through the
whole thing. And then he was going to
introduce us to everybody. But he got ill and he wasn't
well enough to stay past the endof the show.
(25:23):
When I heard the news I was awake all night thinking of
Vaughn about when we first met in the first year of college.
When I went to see him at 4AD inAlma Rd., he was very kind and
beautifully encouraging, as I know he wants to so many others,
all students of the ineffable. When I heard he'd gone, I went
for a walk along the seashore. Somewhere in between a change of
state, solid into liquid into air to think of form.
(25:48):
It was impossible to foresee, but in 2019 Oliver was to design
his last Pixies cover Beneath the Eerie, a final collaboration
with his muse like Co conspirator the photographer
Simon Lau Bellastier. The album Songs explored themes
of loss, darkness and the macabre, and the cover image
(26:08):
reflected that mood, the visual representation of the album's
darker and more experimental side.
I wanted to intermingle the spirit world with life and
death, the mystical and more surreal landscapes.
Dixie's vocalist and guitarist Black Francis said Oliver.
It was his final visual contribution for the band,
embracing their lyrical imagery without literal translations,
(26:32):
turning the songs to visual dreamscapes.
There is no doubt that throughout his entire life,
Vaughan Oliver always strove to create an atmosphere, a sacred
kind of chaos where people couldexperiment, fail, and find their
individual voice. He was demanding, for sure, but
he also was willing to give others the opportunity to shine
(26:53):
in his light, always free of guilt.
Vaughan was an incredible benefactor and an incredible
creative force. Bourne really cared.
Vaughan reached out. Vaughan said.
Yes, come in when you're 22 or whatever.
You just think you're censor of your own little universe.
But my memories of Vaughan were just one that you're one of the
(27:17):
most powerful influences I've ever had.
That spirit of spontaneity, imperfection and intimacy wasn't
just in his work, it was also inthe way he lived.
And when Vaughan Oliver passed away in December 2019, a bright
light went out in the design world that had been shining for
over 40 years. Heart of a soul so young and so
(27:40):
fervent switched from being present to being far away, like
a distant star far in the sky. His death rippled through the
music industry, the design community and the generations of
artists who had grown up with his sleeves propped up like
portals against their teddy bedsit walls.
I was just thinking Born just was on his own satellite and in
(28:03):
a sense he still is. He's still so he himself and
independent. He is the spirit of
independence. According to designer and
Assorted images founder Malcolm Garrett Vaughan, Oliver was the
most inspirational of record sleep designers.
The emotional power contained within his layered imagery
(28:24):
captured the essence of the music in a uniquely transcendent
way. In a special tribute, Simon
Raymond outlined Olivers legacy in clear, precise words.
It goes without saying what a hugely influential artist he
was, but more importantly he wasa wonderful father, a great man,
very funny, with impeccable taste in music, art and cinema.
(28:48):
His work in the 80s and 90s changed design forever.
In the years since, Vaughn's wife Lee, a designer and
educator herself, has worked tirelessly to ensure his legacy
lives on. In 2021, alongside Northumbria
University and Four AD, she helped launch the Vaughan Oliver
Graphic Design Scholarships to support emerging artists from
(29:10):
the Northeast, right where Oliver's journey began.
When asked why, Lee said Vaughanwas a huge inspiration to so
many designers and artists. We hope this scholarship helps
support the next generation who follow in his footsteps.
Among his peers, few had felt that kind of inspiration more
deeply than the design of Jonathan Bombruck, who was a fan
(29:31):
of Oliver from day one. To me, he's one of the best
graphic designs in this geographic design because of the
way he so sympathetically used images and texts together
before. The start.
Of the computer, he was so far ahead of everybody else, it was
absolutely unbelievable. Because Vaughn Oliver wasn't
(29:53):
just a designer. He was a myth maker, a wise and
visionary seer, a believer in possibilities, a master of
subtle wit. He made records feel like
special gifts, objects of desire, a dream come true, like
modern day heirlooms. Like something to cherish, to
touch, to puzzle over, to shoe gaze and wonder.
(30:13):
How did you know what to say so consciously?
Yet his work never answered. It only answered your
interpretation, your relationship with the music, an
answer that simply helped suggest its meaning.
For Barnbrook, Oliver was a torch bearer for the DIY
attitude formulated by 70s punk.I think Vaughn was an actual
(30:39):
success to Jamie Reed. You knew there was a particular
form in a particular way of expressing the message and I
think Vaughn was the successor to Jamie in that individual
style which motivated a generation.
But it wasn't just in the work, it was also in his philosophy.
(31:01):
I believe that chaos, the cut upambiguity, the intuition and the
emotional spontaneity were not just valid but essential.
But Barnbrook and many others Vaughan Oliver made space for a
different kind of designer, one who could be poetic, subversive,
and sincere all at the same time.
Vaughan is a good example of someone who hasn't really he
(31:26):
cared about the principles of you've got to go and get a job,
you have to train for industry. He created their own job and his
own world and people were excited about it.
And I hope he's a good example to students and that if you
follow your passion, you follow your instinct, it can happen for
you. Yet Oliver left behind no
(31:51):
manifesto, no how to guide, no guiding principles or rules,
just a body of work and a formidable way of working, a
refusal to settle for anything less than a slipping glimpse of
wonder, a commitment to the beautiful mistake.
And in doing so, he built something truly timeless, a
(32:11):
visual legacy that still whispers wordlessly, hauntingly
movingly, long after he's gone. What he taught me was this
insatiable desire to surprise himself.
Really it pushed the boundaries and not be lazy and push
yourself and experiment. In the words of his friend and
(32:42):
fellow non conformist British designer Neville Brody, Vaughan,
Oliver was one of our most influential, inspiring and
individual designers. More of an artist than a
designer, he invented and openednew worlds and narratives for
each of us to enter with. Tactile details met degraded
physicality, raw decaying surfaces, encountered delicate
(33:03):
natural objects in a kind of fetishistic and ritualistic
mesh. Everything bound together by an
obsessively exquisite and detailed typographic poetry,
iconic and forever evolving. In the next, in a few weeks, we
will be launching a brand new season called Voices of Protest.
(33:25):
It's going to be a little different, but we have a really
great lineup of really interesting guests.
Follow us on Instagram at Destroy Punk Podcast for more
details. Now back to the show.
So much of Vaughn Oliver's work was about abstract threads of
ideas that inferred a hidden narrative.
(33:47):
A strand of hair, a trace of texture, a shadow across a face.
He only ever gave us glimpses rather than answers, symbols
rather than signs. And maybe that's what grief is
too. Not something to resolve, but
something to sit with. A half remembered dream, a
healing wound, a vision that stays with you.
(34:08):
Even now, long after his passing, you can still feel it,
That atmosphere, the music, the moon and the melody and the
rhythm. In his art, he showed us that
graphic design doesn't have to explain, it can haunt chillingly
to depict stories wrapped in vast, elaborate fantasies.
Fond affections, sunburst and snow blind mortal coils of
(34:31):
treasure. Songs to the sirens, Lush, ultra
vivid scenes. Morning glory, the heart of the
sunrise. Where is my mind?
Yes, it'll end in tears forever.His name is alive.
Have you ever stood in a record shop holding a cocktail Twins LP
or a Pixie CD and wondered exactly what you were looking
(34:54):
at? You were already halfway there.
That was the magic of Vaughn Oliver, a Northern Soul, a
visual poet, A generous teacher,and a reluctant artist who made
music visible for all of us and everyone who reveled in his
light. Chris Pig, graphic designer.
(35:54):
Tom Murray, Cheryl Gulliver and I are tulipomania.
We write and record music and make film and animation
together. Jonathan Bomberg.
Graphic Designer. Mickey Boreni Lash Mickey Boreni
Trio. Paul W Graphic designer and
landscape artist. Daydream Shaughnessy Graphic
(36:15):
Designer I teach designer, I write about graphic design and
also a publisher. Tim O'Donnell, a graphic
designer. Graham Wood, designer.
Simon Raymond Ballet Union This episode of Destroy was written
(36:38):
and produced by B Right Back Studios with the generous
support of Lee Widows. A special thanks to everyone who
shared their time, their memories, and their love for
Vaughan. Music for this episode was
composed by Tokyo Iconic. To see some of the artwork
mentioned in this show, as well as music videos and archival
interviews, please visit destroypunkpodcast.com.
(37:00):
You can also support our show via Patreon or follow us on
Instagram at Destroy Punk Podcast, or simply share this
episode with someone who still believes in the tactile and the
oblique. Here I end this week.
(37:30):
Box 3. Boom 5.
This has been another episode ofDestroy.
Thank you for listening and thank you Vaughn, for
everything. My name is Richard Smith and I'm
(37:51):
your host. I'm a filmmaker and art director
and Once Upon a time I was part of the big 80s.
I designed record covers for Depeche Mode.
I danced with Bono, discussed art with Mick Jagger and drank
tea with Susie Sue. I also grew up during those
turbulent times in England in the late 70s and was driven by
the Do it Yourself ethos with punk.
I obsessed over bands like Joy Division and New Order and went
(38:12):
on to work for the album cover designer Peter Savile.
I believe that year, that momentin 1976 when a bunch of foul
mouthed yobs cursed and swore onnational television, changed the
future of culture forever and iswhat brought us to where we are
today. So where do we go from here?
Will emerging new technologies be the catalyst that tears down
the walls of mediocrity, throwing culture and society
(38:34):
into chaos and revolution again?We'll have to wait and see.
This has been another episode ofDestroy.
Thank you for listening destroyisaberightbackstudiosproductionlearnmore@berightbackstudios.com
and please tune in again for another episode of Destroy the
Influence of Punk podcast wherever you listen or download.
(38:59):
The archival audio used in this episode of Destroy is taken from
a variety of unknown sources. Every effort has been made to
use these clips responsibly concerning their original
creators for the purpose of education, commentary and
tribute. All rights remain with the
original rights holders.
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