George Hardie coming to Perth

The great British illustrator and designer, George Hardie is coming to Perth as a guest of the Australian Graphic Design Association (AGDA). Professor Hardie is probably best known for his wonderful cryptic graphics for the Hipgnosis album sleeves and dust jackets of the 1970s for such rock luminaries as Pink Floyd, Genesis and 10cc.

But his career spans four decades of what he modestly describes as ‘jobbing illustration’. The UK President of ICOGRADA and Professor of Graphic Design at Brighton University, Hardie’s ‘visual wit’ is on a par with the likes of Milton Glaser and Seymour Schwast.

In our opinion his illustration work is the embodiment of design thinking. His approach is one of problem solving for the client but with the twist of problem making for the client’s audience: Hardie’s graphics are little visual puzzles that need answering to be fully understood. Each piece shows a remarkable respect for the intelligence of the viewer and a keen understanding of the viewing situation.