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23 Envelope

Graphic design partnership

Field	Value
name	23 Envelope
type	Graphic design partnership
founded	1980
dissolved	1988
founders	{{Plainlist
location	United Kingdom
key_people	{{Plainlist

Vaughan Oliver
Nigel Grierson
Vaughan Oliver (graphic designer)
Nigel Grierson (photographer/filmmaker)

23 Envelope was the name given to the graphic design partnership of graphic designer Vaughan Oliver and photographer/filmmaker Nigel Grierson from 1980–1988. During this time, they created a distinct visual identity for the British independent music label 4AD through their record sleeve designs for bands such as Cocteau Twins, Dead Can Dance, and This Mortal Coil.

As 23 Envelope, Oliver primarily designed, while Grierson primarily photographed (occasionally, however, duties would be exchanged and/or overlap). With Grierson's departure in 1988, Oliver saw fit to retire the 23 Envelope moniker, and continue working under the name v23 with new partner Chris Bigg, and various design associates that would come to include Paul McMenamin, Timothy O'Donnell, Martin Andersen and others. Meanwhile, Grierson focused more on the moving image, directing music videos and TV commercials, both in London and the USA.

A quote from a 2000 article on Grierson by Rick Poynor explains some of the early history of Oliver and Grierson:

Publications featuring the work of 23 Envelope

The work of 23 Envelope has been well-published in books and design magazines especially under Vaughan Oliver's name.

Vanderlans, Rudy, ed. (1988). Emigre, No. 9.
Poynor, Rick, ed. (1993). Eye, No. 10, Vol. 3. Wordsearch Ltd.
Walters, John L., ed. (2000). Eye, No. 37, Vol. 10. Quantum Publishing.

References

(1 July 2009). "Graphic Design, Referenced: A Visual Guide to the Language, Applications, and History of Graphic Design". Rockport Publishers.
"4AD-L FAQ: Artwork and Design".
Poynor, Rick. (Autumn 2000). "23 Envelope: Ambience and Inner Space". Eye.

Info: Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

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