SUMOF - Key Persons
One of the Esquire founders, Arnold Gingrich, said no way, you can't run this. Harold had just become the editor after a three‑way fight between him and two other editors. So he was pretty much on his own when he came to see me about covers. And, even though he had just gotten the job, he said to Gingrich, "If you don't run this cover I'm quitting." I didn't know about this-and he didn't tell me about it. Harold was a man's man. He was the editor; he made the decision…
Bill Bernbach got that guy, Bob Gage, to be his first art director and Bob Gage made Doyle Dane Bernbach the success it is today, the success it became, because Bill immediately had this one terrific designer and thinker, a guy who could write, a guy who understands-a guy who understood humanity…
There was a great graphic bunch. He hired his first writer, Phyllis Robinson (who died in 2010). Together they did the advertising that made everybody in America who had brains say, "Wow, what the hell is going on?" They had something terrific going on. So Bill understood the power of the art director, and he revered it.
I always said-in fact, I once told Bill when I was 26 and he laughed his ass off-I said, "Bill, I, um, I do great advertising when I work with a great writer." He looked at me and said, "Yeah?" "Bill, I do great advertising when I work with a mediocre writer, with a fair writer." He said, "Yeah?" "Bill, I do great advertising when I work with a lousy writer…" He said "Yeah?" And I said, "Bill, I also do great advertising when I work with no writer." And he looked me in the eye, shook his head and said, "You're right," because the first day I got to the [DDB] agency, when he and Bob Gage hired me, Bill came into the office at nine in the morning or 9:30am to welcome me. But I had been there from 5:30 in the morning, which I always did.
Strewn over the floor were about ten layouts of tissue paper, stapled to bond paper. Bill came in and he looked at my room. He said, "George, welcome. But what are these, what are these layouts?" I said I was working on ads. When I got to the agency at 5:30 in the morning there was a requisition on my drawing board for a product called Kerid, which was an earwax removal. It was a liquid that you put in ears. So I told him about the product and he said, "George, I understand the product. I've got the account, you know!" (Like he was saying, "you schmuck!") I said, "Yeah, well, anyway. I'm working on some ads." And he started to glance at them.
They were on the floor. They were, you know, simple, beautiful drawings with headlines and body copy written out. He said, "George, these are remarkable. Who's your writer?" I said, "Bill, I just came to work at 5:30 this morning. The brief was on my drawing board. I'm just working on them." He said, "Yeah, but who's your writer?" And I said, "Bill, I don't need a goddamn writer." He looked at me and said, "I'll be your writer from now on. I'll do all your writing."
He understood that a great art director runs the show. I don't care who your writer is. You know, you can work with a writer… Can I say something here?
Job Titles:
- Legendary Art Director / Designer
Legendary Art Director/Designer George Lois talks about his politics, discusses his unique relationship with Esquire editor Harold Hayes, reveals how Paul Rand influenced Bill Bernbach and debunks the Mad Men TV series. This interview was featured in Open Manifesto #6, which focused on the theme ‘Myth'. (Sadly, George passed away in 2022, aged 91.
‘It's a Mad World' originally appeared in Playboy Magazine (August 2010 issue) © 2010 Playboy. Following is a transcript of the original manuscript, kindly provided by George Lois and reprinted with the generous permission from Playboy Magazine.
Kevin Finn is a brand expert, author, internationally recognised branding designer and TEDx speaker. His personal belief is: There is wisdom in learning.
With 30 years experience, Finn began his career in Dublin at the design studio that has created all of U2's album covers. Following this, for seven years he was Joint-Creative Director of Saatchi Design, Sydney, part of the Saatchi & Saatchi global network. In 2007, he founded TheSumOf.
Finn lives and works on Turrbul and Jagera Country, and acknowledges Australia's First Peoples as the original knowledge holders of this Country, paying respect to Elders, both past and present.
Job Titles:
- Influential British Designer
Influential British designer Peter Saville discusses his views on the evolution of the graphic design industry, while also questioning the role of truth in branding. This interview was featured in Open Manifesto #4, which focused on the theme ‘Propaganda'.
Peter Saville: Yes. [Pause] I got steered towards graphic design when I was a young person, when I was a teenager, because I liked the aesthetic of the graphic art. I think this is probably a condition common to many young people. The graphic arts are very much a (sort of) entry-level course for someone who is visually interested. Because it is pretty simple stuff, isn't it?
Job Titles:
- Co - Founder of the Seminal Branding Firm Wolff Olins