Richard Smith chooses his favourite work by Peter Saville
Worked at Peter Saville Associates (from 1985), responsible for Yohji Yamamoto campaigns and Whitechapel branding; founder of Area (1989), working with Depeche Mode; campaign president for Dollar ReDe$ign Project; creative director at New York brand engagement firm, Sullivan; manages Peter Saville’s Twitter and Facebook accounts
Unknown Pleasures
It's my humble opinion that Peter, along with a couple of other designers of his gener, Brody Garrett, Oliver -- were the true pioneers of 21st-century design. Like punk, they set the creative wheels in motion that led to the society we live in today. Without it we'd still be sending snail mail, and design, creativity, culture, music, fashion, art and product design would be stuck in the dark ages.
Like many of Peter's admirers, it was the music and the packaging (the semiotic signs of the time) that inspired me. Peter and his generation coupled the unifying nature of music with the semiotic nature of design to create an emotional bond between the band and the brand. They did not do branding. Nor would the musicians ever consider themselves as a brand. But the two things crystallised in a moment, and came to mean something more than what was apparent on the surface. Consider, on a simple level, the continued influence of Unknown Pleasures -- on Disney and Kanye West -- and appreciate the widespread impact Peter has had on us all.
