Creative Review – Two Tone: the graphics
I’m trying to figure out what influenced me more: the music or the graphic design behind The Specials, The Selector and a handful of other bands on 2 Tone Records. These bands were definitely on heavy, constant rotation for most of my teenage years. The sinister vibe of the piano/synth and chorus of The Specials’ ‘Ghost Town’ and the neo-70s soft-core basement pron film horns and bass of The Selector’s ‘The Selecter’ were permanent fixtures of my dj sets at art school. I still listen to their albums on a regular basis. And as influential as their music was on me, the graphic design and visual identity behind these bands was just as imprinted on my brain. Effective, cohesive and minimal.
Creative Review has an interview with David Storey who along with his partner, John Sims, created the visual look of the entire output of the 2 Tone label:
In 1979, fresh from art college, David Storey joined the team that, under the creative direction of The Specials’ Jerry Dammers, created the graphic identity for the band and their label, Two Tone. While the fashion ‘look’ for Two Tone was already well established – shiny suits, thin ties, pork pie hats and penny loafers all topped-off with a pair of Rayban Wayfarers – Storey and his partner John ‘Teflon’ Sims, helped create the visuals to go with it. Now devoting his time to painting, David Storey talked to CR about his work.
Storey is also releasing limited edition giclee prints of several 2 Tone era posters.
Incidentally, Storey is also the graphic designer behind the look of The Housemartins, another early high school favorite of mine (‘London 0 Hull 4′) and has Housemartin posters for sale as well. WTF factoid of the day: Norman Cook aka Fatboy Slim was in The Housemartins! I didn’t know that until I linked over to their wiki page just now. weird, but true.
