Neville Brody was an authentic graphic designer of his time period. He was born in Southgate, London and realized at an early age that art was his passion. He told someone once that “he does not remember a time in his life when he was planning to do anything other than art or painting”. Brody went on to study at the London College of Communication and Hornsey College of Art. Throughout his career, he became known for his record cover designs regarding the British independent music industry in the early 80’s.  Brody’s well known work on The Face magazine reveals some of his stylistic ideas and branding design. In 1994, the Neville Brody Studio was created, which now has offices ranging from London all the way to Barcelona. Brody is a founding member of Fontworks and has contributed to designing over 20 different typefaces in his career.

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As an art director for The Face magazine, Brody designed and re-branded the magazine that reflected his own style and ideas.  Each cover differed in organization, but typically held the same color scheme and font style. Brody was expressive and went against our current stylistic ideas and traditions because he designed every magazine slightly different than the last. He often incorporated his own hand drawings and prints into each magazine and took on a more artistic standpoint to magazine design versus organizational. I admire his ideas and artwork portrayed in The Face because it shows his originality and true expression. I don’t believe that he would have been as successful in today’s culture due to the expectations and standards that have been set up in regards to design and advertisement.  It is refreshing to see artwork that one believes in and becomes successful in, because I feel as though in our current society there is a “right” and “wrong” factor that is taken to account when we view art.

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Upon looking at his artwork, I can’t help but notice that his designs & typography were constantly changing. Its almost as if I can feel his new ideas coming to life as he advances in his work. I notice that he often gravitates toward the color red in his work. I think in certain instances, this is symbolic of energy, strength, power, passion, and determination. An essay from DesignObserver writes Brody as “shaped by the rebellious energy and inclinations of the punk period….outspokenly humanist in his sympathies and openly political in a way that none of his contemporaries were”.  With the use of such strong coloring (red) he often places emphasis on specific words and phrases. Since Brody focused primarily on magazine design, his thematic focus revolved around his current society (music, movies, sports, etc.).

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Brody was and still is culturally relevant because he pushed the limits of marketing and took pride in being “non-commercial”.  He has created a new way of design style and has designed over 20 fonts that are used internationally.  By constantly breaking visual boundaries, Brody is one of the leading graphic designers in the world. I believe that as artists, we should create with a passion such as Brady’s- to go against the cultural expectation and create new ways of viewing the world.