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Peter Saville on How "Autobahn" Changed His Life
By Ray Hu - Jul 19, 2011
As I mentioned in yesterday's recap of the "Avant/Garde Diaries" launch event, Peter Saville related that the album art for Kraftwerk's 1974 LP Autobahn was the singular inspiration for his decision to pursue graphic design—a sound decision, considering that his artwork for the likes of Joy Division and New Order has perhaps eclipsed that of their krautrock predecessor. In fact, Autobahn was the first record that he bought with his own money—until that point in his teenage years, he simply borrowed tunes from his older brothers.
The überminimal design gave Saville his first taste of semiotics as an underlying issue in visual communication. To hear him tell it, the abstracted highway represents "time, history [and] travel" even as it resembles everything from a "power station [to a] cathedral." Saville also noted the ideograph's deeper meaning in terms of "history as well as space," where it has taken on a cultural significance in addition to its graphic one.
Any other graphic designers care to share their "Eureka" moments in the comments? (I'm personally a fan of Stanley Donwood's work for Radiohead...)
Peter Saville is a British art director from Manchester, best known for his album covers for Joy Division, OMD, New Order and other bands signed with the Factory Records label. His work—for instance the legendary cover for the New Order single Blue Monday in the form of an 8-inch floppy disk or the cover for the Joy Division album Unknown Pleasures—stands out with its quintessential, minimalist style. He runs his own company Peter Saville Associates. Apart from his work with the music industry, he has also worked for customers such as CNN, Adobe Systems, Givenchy and Stella McCartney.
Ray Hu
Formerly an editor and currently a contributor to Core77 (among other publications), Ray brings a broad interest in popular culture, media, and technology — alongside an abiding passion for art, music, and cycling — to his practice as a journalist and critic.
3 Comments
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I always wander how much of the reasoning behind a desing like this comes after the birth of the idea. Designing something simple is implicitly complicated. My most pure, creative ideas seem to stem from my most benign activity.!Report as spam
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The Designers Republic's early album cover work, particularly their stuff for Pop Will Eat Itself had a huge impact on me.!Report as spam
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A company called autobahn wheel co. uses that logo as theirs as well. They sell skateboard wheels.!Report as spam
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