Congratulations to Steven Heller on his recent exhibition and receiving the Masters Series Award at the School of Visual Arts (SVA), New York. Steven is co-founder and co-chair of the MFA design department and co-founder of the MFA Design Criticism Department at SVA. The Masters Series is the SVA’s Annual Award and is given to honor great visual communicators. Since it’s inception in 1988 the SVA has awarded the prestigious prize to international industry legends such as Saul Bass, Ivan Chermayeff, Seymour Chwast, Lou Dorfsman, Heinz Edelmann, Shigeo Fukuda, Paul Rand, Massimo Vignelli to name a few.

Starting in the late 60s Steven worked as an inspiring teen cartoonist and contributing artist at the Avatar, he learned additional skills as a paste-up artist and later became the art director of The New York Free Press, The New York Review of Sex and Screw. During this time Steven worked with then up-and-coming, and now established illustrators such as B. Holland, E. Sorel, M. Arisman. He joined The New York Times (NYT) in 1974 and in 1980 became Senior Art Director of the Op-Ed page, formerly the Book Review. Steven has written and edited over 100 books on graphic design! Among other honors he has been given are the Art Directors Hall of Fame Special Educators Award, the AIGA Medal for Lifetime Achievement, and the Richard Gangel Award for Art Direction. Steven is also a member of the design and architecture acquisition committee at The Museum of Modern Art, New York.

David Gentleman RDI was delighted to be awarded the Prince Phillip Designers Prize by H.R.H. The Duke of Edinburgh at the annual ceremony held at The Sage, Gateshead, this October. Nominated for the prize by the Chartered Society of Designers (CSD), the prize was given in recognition for David’s outstanding and influential contribution to design spanning some 50 years. His work includes successful British brand identities such as British Steel, over 100 stamp designs, his famous Eleanor Cross mural at Charing Cross underground station, and more recently Stop The War Poster Campaign.

Nominees for the prize were RIBA award winning architect David Chipperfield, product designer Robin Levien, Apple’s head of design Jonathan Ive, furniture designer, Royal College of Art professor Ron Arad and fashion designer Shelley Fox.

David Gentlemans work can be seen and read about in the Baseline 54–2008 article, Hearts and minds written by David.

On invitation by Rowley Atterbury (former managing director of the renowned Westerham Press/Kent), Baseline’s publishers Hans Dieter and Veronika Reichert met Robert Harling, pioneer graphic designer, author and editor. Harling expressed his appreciation and thanks for publishing an article in Baseline 50 about the influential graphics publication Alphabet and Image. The well researched article was written by Kerry William Purcell and showed the publications in some detail. Alphabet and Image was edited and designed by Harling and published by James Shand’s Shenval Press in the late 1940s. The ‘surprise’ meeting was arranged by Atterbury on short notice resulting from earlier contacts and recommendations by David Gentleman and John Miles. The 97 year old Robert Harling commented favourably on the high quality of Baseline.

Rowley Atterbury’s knowledge, life and work experience and his exhaustive archive (correspondence with Jan Tschichold, Eric Gill, Ruari McLean) warrants more appreciation by Baseline in future issues. There is much to be said about Atterbury and the Westerham Press. Besides, the first computer-set bible, specially keyboarded at Westerham, the company’s international reputation was in the printing and publication of high quality books and printed matter.

Richard B. Doubleday, award winning American Graphic Designer held an exhibition at the Universidad Iberoamericana, Santa Fe, Mexico City, Mexico this October (2007) titled Richard B. Doubleday, Retrospective Poster Exhibition.

He also gave a talk at the MX International Design Conference 2007 titled A Visual Investigation of Contemporary Cultural Identity – four related studies – ‘German and Japanese Symbol Systems: A Cultural Study’; ‘England, in Our Mind’s Eye’; ‘Graphic Design in Britain, Concept Book: The British Experience’; and ‘Boston, United States of America and Suzhou, China: A Cultural Concept Book Study’. The talk served to link academic knowledge pertaining to his work and that of his students in their relationship to different cultures through four related studies as a vehicle for graphic design education.

Richard’s writings on design history have been published in Baseline, Print, IDEA, A! Diseno, Package & Design China, and IdN magazine in Hong Kong. He is also the author of Jan Tschichold, Designer: The Penguin Years. He is a member of the editorial team and contributing writer to the 4th and 5th editions of Meggs’ History of Graphic Design.

In addition he is currently Assistant Professor of Art in the department of Graphic Design at the College of Fine Arts, Boston University and teaches in their London Summer, British Programmes, and still finds time to run his own design studio ‘Richard Doubleday Design’. His current research activities include the commercial printing and graphic arts journals of the Shenval Press, Typography, Alphabet & Image, Image, and Motif.

Baseline host the 3rd annual visit from graphic design students of the University of Delaware (UD). Prof. Bill Dering and Prof. Ashley J. Pigford and 30 students from the University of Delaware visited the publishing offices of Baseline Magazine and the design studio of HDR Visual Communication.

Hans Dieter Reichert, editor and art director of the magazine, welcomed the guest and started with a brief introduction to the magazine. Paul Arnot, senior designer, continued the presentation and discussed in more detail the various design aspects of the publication.

4th Baseline visit by graphic design students from boston Universitty (BU) organised
by Prof. Richard B. Doubleday and Kerry William Purcell. Kerry, lecturer and author of various
20th century design monographs, and regular contributor to Baseline, accompanied the 12
design students to the Baseline studio in East Malling, Kent.
    After a brief introduction to the company, Hans Dieter Reichert explained the history, philosophy and methodology of the ‘TypoGraphics’ magazine. A question and answer session, tour of the studio and detailed conversations with the design team rounded the afternoon off.

In 1995, Bradbourne Publishing Ltd, celebrated with Baseline no.19 the first issue from the newly formed publishing company. The magazine was previously owned by the international graphic arts manufacturer Letraset. Mike Daines and Hans Dieter Reichert bought the title and the trademark and with help of a specially appointed editorial advisiory board (Misha Anikst, Martin Ashley, Colin Brignal, Dave Ellis, Alan Fletcher) established the magazine fast into an award winning product. Over the years Baseline made many new friends, the editors and designers gave lectures, explained the beliefs and the ‘design philosophy’, primarily dedicated to creativity and quality. The readers are appreciative!

12 years ago, friends and enthusiasts, celebrated the new venture in the studio of HDR Visual Communication, at Bradbourne House in East Malling, Kent, UK.Ideas, research, scoops, and frequently sensational images arrive in Baseline, courtesy of a supportive cohort of contributors and friends. We couldn’t have done 50 magazines without you.

Arnold Schwartzman OBE was elected Royal Designer for Industry (RDI) by the RSA, London. At a formal ceremony in London on November 30th, 2006, renowned graphic designer and Academy Award winning documentary filmmaker Arnold Schwartzman was accorded one of the most prestigious awards in the design world. In recognition of his achievements in graphic design he has been conferred the distinction of ‘Royal Designer for Industry’ (RDI) by Britain’s oldest arts society, RSA (The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce).

London born Schwartzman began his career in British television, moving to Los Angeles in 1978 to become Design Director for Saul Bass & Associates. In 1982 he received an Oscar for producing and directing the documentary feature ‘Genocide’. The same year he was appointed the Director of Design for the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games.

He is the designer of several Academy Awards commemorative posters and presentation programs, and produced a number of the Academy’s theatrical trailers, and is the author of numerous books, including his forthcoming ‘LONDON ART DECO’ (Aurum Press, May 2007).

Elected to Alliance Graphique Internationale in 1974. A Governor and past Chairman of the Board of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts/Los Angeles (BAFTA/LA), Schwartzman is also a past Chair of the Documentary Executive Committee of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

In 2002 he was appointed an OBE for services to the British film industry in the USA.

Arnold Schwartzman is a long standing friend and contributor to Baseline magazine. Published articles by Arnold or about his work include:
Saul Bass – Anatomy of a Mentor, Baseline 22, 1996.

The vanishing art of the sign, baseline 26, 1998.

Design for the Oscars, by Beryl McAlhone, baseline 32, 2000.

A Persistence of Vision: Arnold Schwartzman profiles his work in Graphic Design and Film, baseline 50, 2006.

As part of their course program, five talented graphic design students from Bath Spa University (Izzy, Katy, Chris, Dane and Ross) visited the design studio of Baseline magazine and HDR Visual communication. Hans Dieter Reichert welcomed the visitors and explained about the magazine, its history and purpose. After the talk the students conducted an interview with Hans raised interesting and engaging questions concerning their own education and career. Impressed by its location they documented the office sourroundings before Hans showed some contemporary projects and explained in detail about design philosphy, ideas, influences and method.

Inspired by the visit the students left late afternoon for Royal Tonbridge Wells were they stayed with Isobel’s family for a nice evening meal, before heading back to Bath Spa the following morning.

Born 27th September 1931, Nairobi – Died 21st September 2006, London. Our involvement with Alan began 12 years ago, when he joined Baseline’s editorial advisory board, (other members were Misha Anikst, Colin Brignall, Dave Ellis and Martin Ashley).

The first ‘board’ meeting took place at Letraset’s offices in Waterloo, London, late in 1994, but plans were already afoot for us to acquire the magazine from the company. When we did, Alan was a very positive supporter of our entrepreneurial publication and from that point onwards saw himself as an ‘unofficial ambassador’ to Baseline, contributing real practical ideas, articles, and contacts to our venture.

Among the ‘scoops’ initiated by Alan were the discovery of the McKnight Kauffer labels (issue 20), and an introduction to Stefan Sagmeister in the same issue.

Alan did not like meetings; he preferred the lunches afterwards, notably at Manzi’s fish restaurant, near Victoria station (selected primarily for the menu illustrations by Ardizzone). Further meetings, such as those at Misha Anikst’s studio by Hampstead Heath yielded further international contacts.

After Baseline became established in its new format and new ownership, Alan decided to stand back, but he continued to contribute brilliant ideas and new contacts via fax.

Visiting Alan’s studio in Notting Hill one sensed that here was a man ‘living by design’. Always curious, with a sure eye for strong design and a certain panache, one felt somehow special when he asked your opinion about stuff he worked on, either displayed on his long white worktable or pinned up on the long white wall.

Alan’s advice for the magazine was: ‘be unpredictable, surprise me, the world of design is so interesting, keep up the standards. All in all produce something I want to keep’. We have tried to follow his lead and are proud that he kept his full set of Baseline’s next to Domus, Eye, Gebrauchsgrafik, Graphis, and Typographica.

Prof. Bill Deering and 15 design students from Delaware University visited the Baseline studio to learn about the magazine and meet its staff. Hans Dieter Reichert welcomed the guests and gave a brief history of the publication and the studio before co-editor Mike Daines introduced the latest product, the new ‘typography e–Lexicon’. Besides seeing important design companies and advertising agencies such as Alan Fletcher, Pentagram, Peter Saville, Saatchi and Saatchi to name a few, ‘Baseline magazine is among the must visit destinations’ according to Bill Deering. The students enjoyed their visit to Bradbourne House. Prof. Bill Deering and the students thanked the Baseline team for the afternoon and went back to London full of new impressions and inspiration.

Baseline welcomed Prof. Richard B. Doubleday and his design students from the University of Boston to Bradbourne House in East Malling, Kent where the studio is based. Baseline was proud to host 3rd annual visit by Prof. Richard B. Doubleday (author of Tschichold book and article in baseline 49). Hans Dieter Reichert, editor and publisher, talked about Baseline’s history and philosophy before handing over to designer staff of HDR visual communication. The designers Paul Arnot, Jo Lewis and Amish Shah explained in some details their unique approch to the design of the individual articles. In return Prof. Richard B. Doubleday explained briefly about his research of Jan Tschichold which led into a stimulating discussion among all participants. The students appreciated the ‘whole Baseline experience’ – the exchange of ideas, views and opinions and after a final tour through the studio the guest left for London. The next visit by Prof. Richard B. Doubleday and his students from Boston University is already pencilled for the next year (2007).

Hans Dieter Reichert, Baseline magazine’s co-editor, art director and co-publisher received an Honorary Degree from the UCCA (University College for the Creative Arts). An honorary degree is the highest accolade a university can give. UCCA is the amalgamation of the established and reputable art, design and architecture higher education colleges of Canterbury, Epsom, Farnham, Maidstone and Rochester. The new University was founded in 2005 and is now nationally the second largest academic institution dedicated entirly to the Arts.

This years awards ceremony for the Maidstone campus was held at All Saints Church. The oration speech was held by the Colin Gearing, Director of studies, Maidstone. In his speech he emphasised the outstanding international contribution, which Hans made to the discipline, in industry and academia and through this has contributed to the wellbeing of society.

After the oration Prof. Elaine Thomas, Rector of UCCA, confered the honorary degree title upon Hans and awarded the other academic degrees to the students of UCCA, Maidstone.

Hans now belongs to the circle of UCCA aluminaires such as Jeff Banks, Tracey Emin, Norman Foster, Vaughan Grylls, Ian Lambie-Nairn, Martin Parr, Rick Poynor, and Zandra Rhodes to name a few.