Between 1996 and 2002, I served as the art director of The Observer's colour supplement, a vibrant, large-format weekly magazine. My role involved collaborating with an exceptional team of writers, editors, stylists, photographers, and illustrators. Together, we produced a diverse range of content, from hard-hitting reportage and interviews to fashion and lifestyle features.
Over my tenure, I art directed over 250 issues, with each presenting a distinct visual narrative that appealed to a broad readership while maintaining a cohesive brand identity for The Observer. The collaboration with renowned photographers and illustrators elevated the magazine's profile, establishing a reputation for high-quality visual content, and the magazine's legacy continues to resonate, reflecting the power of thoughtful design and collaboration in media.
Client: The Observer/Guardian Media Group; Picture Editor: Jennie Ricketts; Photographers: Fleur Olby, Brigitte Lacombe, Martin Parr, and Nigel Parry.
Romek Marber (1925–2020)
Frequently spending time in the Observer newspaper’s archive while art director of the colour supplement, I was absorbed in the visual legacy of the Observer magazine, which then stretched back nearly four decades to its launch in September 1964. There was so much that inspired and excited me, from singular images to entire issues, but one period, in particular, drew me back time after time: those were the issues designed by the magazine’s first art director, Romek Marber. I recently contributed a text on his Observer work to his archive, which you can read here.