Inspiration

Reviews

The Always Inspiring Brian Sadgrove

by Matt Green on 07/06/2012

I am a new author to Design Assembly from, Sydney, Australia. Given that I am Australian I thought it would be a great opportunity to introduce you (in my own words and point of view) to the work of the always inspiring and iconic Australian designer Brian Sadgrove. If you have heard of him in NZ then great, read on. If not then read on to learn more about him.

I had the pleasure of working for Brian at Sadgrove Design from 2000 to 2003 when I was fresh out of University. What an amazing time this was. I have very fond memories of this time and I feel very blessed to have had the opportunity to learn directly from Brian, and his trusty side kick Miro (Brian’s dog at the time, named after the famous painter Joan Miró).

I feel I could write a lot of words about Brian because of the impact he had on me as a designer at such a young age, but that would go against what he taught me. Brian stays true to the ‘less is more’ rule, therefore I will keep my words brief. I have compiled a range of resource links at the end of this post which will give you a good background of Brian and his work, like the famous Channel 9 logo.

I worked on some great clients with Brian, and I could make a list, but the following mean much more to me. I uncovered a few items from my time with Brian and I thought I would share them with you. The first is our business cards which I have managed to keep in mint condition.

The second is the most amazing reference letter which, to this day, still gives me goose bumps to read. Truly this letter opened so many doors for me when I left Sadgrove Design in 2003 to pursue a career, and holiday in the UK (Note: this is when I met and worked with the lovely Louise, Design Assembly extraordinaire). I am showing you this letter because of the simplicity and honesty of Brian, not to say – look at me, look at me! Honestly. Being a young designer at the time and asking for a reference you expect the usual. But not from Brian, the unusual, the unexpected, the simplicity…

The other photo I took was of one of the last projects I worked on with Brian, a wine label for Scotchmans Hill winery. It is great to look back in old folders and the like and find printed material, especially like these printed labels straight from the printer and probably from a press check at the time.

The following is a great video on Brian by the Australian Graphic Design Association. It is part of Conversations with Designers, this really is Brian, honest and true to himself.

I would like to finish by saying thank you to Brian, for being a great mentor and friend, still to this day.

To read more about Brian, and you should, check out the below links:

• Brian’s Website
• Max Robinson on Brian’s induction into the AGDA Hall of Fame
• A collection of work from the past can be seen here at Re:collection
• AGDA video, Conversations with Designers – Brian Sadgrove