Alan Fletcher (graphic designer) facts for kids

Alan Gerard Fletcher (born September 27, 1931 – died September 21, 2006) was a very famous British graphic designer. A graphic designer creates visual ideas using images, words, and shapes. People often called him the best graphic designer of his time. He was also known for creating a lot of amazing designs.

Alan Fletcher was born in Nairobi, Kenya. When he was five years old, he moved to England. He went to four different art schools to study design. These included the Hammersmith School of Art, Central School of Art, Royal College of Art, and Yale School of Art and Architecture at Yale University.

Alan Fletcher's Early Life

Alan Fletcher was born in Nairobi, Kenya, because his father worked there. When his father became very sick, Alan and his family moved back to England. He was only five years old. He lived with his grandparents in Shepherd's Bush in West London. In 1939, he moved to Christ's Hospital in Horsham for safety during the war.

Studying Art and Design

Alan started studying at the Hammersmith School of Art in 1949. Later, he went to the Central School of Art. There, he learned from a great typographer named Anthony Froshaug. He also became friends with many future famous designers and artists.

After teaching English for a year in Barcelona, Spain, he returned to London. From 1953 to 1956, he studied at the Royal College of Art. Here, he met more talented people like Peter Blake.

In 1956, Alan married Paola Biagi from Italy. They met while having a lively discussion about colors! Soon after, he received a special scholarship. This allowed him to study at the Yale School of Art and Architecture in the United States. He learned from very important designers like Josef Albers and Paul Rand. While in the US, he visited New York and met other designers. He even designed a cover for Fortune magazine in 1958. After traveling to Venezuela, he came back to London in 1959. He had also worked briefly for famous companies like Saul Bass in Los Angeles and Pirelli in Italy.

Alan Fletcher's Design Career

In 1962, Alan Fletcher started his own design company. He teamed up with Colin Forbes and Bob Gill. They called their firm 'Fletcher/Forbes/Gill'. One of their first projects was a book about graphic design in 1963.

Working with Big Companies

Their company worked with many well-known clients. These included Pirelli (a tire company), Cunard Line (a shipping company), Penguin Books (a book publisher), and Olivetti (an office equipment company).

In 1965, Bob Gill left the company. Theo Crosby joined, and the firm changed its name to Crosby/Fletcher/Forbes. Later, in 1972, the company grew even more. It became a very famous design studio called Pentagram. Alan Fletcher was one of the founding partners of Pentagram. They designed for big names like Lloyd's of London and Daimler Benz.

Famous Logos and Designs

Many of Alan Fletcher's designs are still used today. He created the "V&A" logo for the Victoria and Albert Museum in 1989. This logo is still in use. His "IoD" logo for the Institute of Directors is also still used. In 1962, he helped start the British Design & Art Direction group. This group is now known as the Designers and Art Directors Association (D&AD).

Later Work and Books

Alan Fletcher left Pentagram in 1992. He continued to work from his home in Notting Hill, London. He worked for new clients, like Novartis. He also became the art director for Phaidon Press, a publishing company, in 1993. For Alan, designing was more than just a job; it was his way of life. He even worked on holidays, always drawing in a notepad.

A book about his designs, Beware Wet Paint, was published in 1994. Alan Fletcher also wrote several books about graphic design and how we see things. His most famous book was The Art of Looking Sideways (2001). It took him 18 years to finish!

Exhibitions and Awards

After he passed away, a special exhibition of Alan Fletcher's work was held. It was at the Design Museum in London from November 2006 to February 2007. A new book called Picturing and Poeting was also published. The exhibition then traveled to other places in 2008. It was shown in Tokyo, Japan, and later in Ealing, West London.

Alan Fletcher won many important awards for his work. In 1993, he received the Prince Philip Designers Prize. He was also the President of the D&AD in 1973. From 1982 to 1985, he was the International President of the Alliance Graphique Internationale. In 1994, he was added to the Hall of Fame of the New York Art Directors Club. He also became a senior fellow of the Royal College of Art in 1989.

Alan Fletcher died in London in 2006 after battling cancer. He is remembered as one of the most important graphic designers of his time.

See also

In Spanish: Alan Fletcher (diseñador gráfico) para niños