Inspiration – Creatives of the World

Annie and Greg Dow, and the team at Dow Goodfolk and Brother Design, have been instrumental in shaping many of the most recognised fast-moving comsumer brands in Aotearoa New Zealand. Sadly, Greg passed away in 2007. Displaying remarkable fortitude, Annie pushed forward, becoming a pre-eminent figure in the NZ design scene. Her mantra, 'Design delivers value' is the stuff of legends. An early intro into the world of advertising The year was 1964, and like many British migrant families before them, the Leggett family sailed from the UK to Auckland, drawn by the possibilities of new opportunities. Annie was three.  Annie’s father,...

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Dubbed ‘Mr Logo’, Australian Ian Kidd (1941—2022) was one of an early batch of home-grown designers to venture yonder. He returned brimming with ideas and seeing the potential for our industry downunder. Ian Kidd began his professional career in the late 50s. He started with a stint within the in-house advertising team at the Adelaide branch of department store giant, Myer. And, proving that designers not proofreading their work is not a new phenomenon—his first advertisement for the Myer Food Hall included the headline, ‘2 pounds of mice’ instead of ‘mince’. Ian soon attracted the interest of the Clem Taylor...

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Australian designer Marita Leuver is best known for her work promoting festivals and public spaces. Strong forms, bold colour and illustrative typography characterise her design sensibility. GSM takes a look... The Leuver Family - creativity throughout Born into a creative family with dad, Peter Leuver, an Art Director, and mum, Joan Leuver, an illustrator, plus four siblings—all of whom are blessed with artistic flair—it is easy to understand why Marita likens her childhood to the American television drama, ‘Mad Men’. Marita studied at Randwick Technical College in Sydney—excelling in the two year graphic design programme. Marita’s sister, and one-time co-designer,...

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If you lived in New Zealand in the late 1960s—70s, chances are you have seen the work of Mark Cleverley in the form of tableware by Crown Lynn. But as we have discovered, Mark was not only a creator of ceramics - but a true multidisciplinary in every sense of the word "Design". Mark Cleverley became one of Aotearoa New Zealand’s leading creative influencers through a six-decade outpouring of ideas and creations—spanning ceramics, architecture, graphics, type design, textiles… the list goes on. In 2014, in recognition of his significant contribution to the profession, The Designers Institute of New Zealand bestowed...

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In this installment of Inspiration - GSM gets up close and personal with contemporary creative influencers 'For The People' - and ask the question...How did you get here? Creative agency For The People (FTP) was founded just eight short years ago in Sydney. The team has since grown—thanks in part to several high-profile projects (including the branding for Ball & Doggett), as well as winning some notable design awards. They now have a presence on both sides of the Tasman, and are one of the studios to watch. But, what has the journey been like reaching this point? GSM asked...

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Her work is characterised by bold blocks of colour combined with a strong sense of form. Australian Lynda Warner has not only built a career championing graphic design in her adoptive home of Tasmania - but has done so at a time where the industry was heavily male dominant. GSM takes a look... How it all started Lynda Warner recognised graphic design was her calling at a young age—when, in the sixth grade, a poster project  introduced her to the world of commercial art. She was hooked. Following advice from a family friend (who was themselves a commercial artist), Lynda...

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The Few of us will leave a legacy as deeply profound as John & Ros Moriarty. Through blending Indigenous & European sensibilities in their design work, they not only helped create the visual expression of ‘Brand Australia’—but have also shown a possible roadmap for the future - a country of many peoples. GSM takes a look… For over 35 years the contribution to ‘visual Australia’ by John, Ros and the Balarinji team has been ground-breaking, to say the least. Both in exposing and celebrating the cultural heritage of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to Australia and the world. John...

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In this instalment of Inspiration, GSM moves closer to home. We take a look at Kiwi Graphic Designer, Fraser Gardyne. In Aotearoa New Zealand, few designers in any discipline become household names. The late John Britten (Products) and British migrant David Trubridge (Lighting) represent a select few who have achieved this level of recognition. But that is not to say that our nation has not produced our own crop of home-grown design heroes and heroines. As is our national psyche—they chip away quietly in the background. Fraser Gardyne may not be a household name but most experienced graphic designers in...

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Storm Thorgerson was a British graphic designer responsible for some of the most evocative album covers ever made. Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon (1973) and Led Zeppelin’s Houses of the Holy (1973) are prime examples. Having attended high school with Pink Floyd founders Syd Barrett and Roger Waters, it was almost predestined that Thorgerson be a part of the music industry in some way or another. But it didn't start of that way. GSM takes a look at Storm Thorgeson's career and his work... His Career Thorgerson attended the University of Leicester, from where he earned a...

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Ground-breaking Euro-Australian Graphic Designer Gert Sellheim was inducted into the AGDA Hall of Fame in 2019. GSM thanks Graham Rendoth for sharing his previously published story on the life of Sellheim... A European Start Gert Sellheim was born in 1901, in Estonia. At the age of 18, he enlisted and fought in the 1919 War of Independence against Soviet Russia. Following this, his family re-settled in Germany where he studied architecture. First in Berlin, followed by Munich, Gratz, Vienna and Paris. This exposed Sellheim to ‘classical’ architecture as well as avant-garde thinking in the form of the Bauhaus and Art...

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