"Signs of the Times" documentary update

5th June, 2008

“Signs of the Times” is the working title for a documentary (and an accompanying coffee table book) that’s currently being made which features thirteen of Australia’s most senior and most successful graphic designers.

The documentary is not so much about the work these designers have produced (although there’ll be plenty to see), it’s about who they are as people – what makes them do what they do, what made them do what they did. It’s based on the idea that we can’t know where we’re going unless we’ve understood where we’ve come from and even more importantly understood the lessons we’ve learned along the way.

Eleven of the thirteen designers spent the 9th and 10th of May at the Lyall Hotel in Melbourne where we filmed them in conversation with each other, at a round table discussion and through one on one interviews. Unfortunately Ian Kidd and Barrie Tucker were unable to join the group so we’ll be filming them in the next few weeks in Adelaide.

Swinburne University’s Film and Television School were responsible for the two days of filming, while Paul Garbett, David Pidgeon and Andrew Ashton photographed almost the entire two days and corresponding evenings. As a result, we now have some 45 hours of footage and over 400 images... and we still have Adelaide to come and of course all the fill-in material we’ll need to provide visual references of the designers’ work.

It’s too early to say yet, but I think we’ll probably end up with about 50 or 60 hours of tape which we’ll need to edit into a one hour television documentary! Luckily using DVD as our platform, we’ll be able to have extended interviews from each of the designers as extras... and of course the book will carry more on the interviews and reference material etc.

In conversation with the designers themselves, the documentary is designed to reveal some of the stories behind their work and the ideas and inspirations that frame the way they think. It will bring to life an extraordinary body of work much of which helps define us as a nation and influences how we live our lives.

The importance of this project is supported by history. There is no doubt whatsoever that the Australian graphic design industry came of age during these designers’ watch. The timing is significant. Many members of this group are either retiring or are at least restructuring their lives. Sadly they’re not going to be available to us forever.

I look forward to bringing you more news soon.

Simon Pemberton

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The designers
Garry Emery
Ken Cato
Ian Kidd
David Lancashire
Trevor Flett
Mimmo Cozzolino
Myriam Kin-Yee
John Spatchurst
Harry Williamson
Barrie Tucker
John Nowland
Neil Turner
Brian Sadgrove

Film production | Swinburne University Film and Television School

Interviewer | Nell Schofield

Location | The Lyall Hotel in Melbourne