Peter Saville at the Paley Center for Media

Tonight, the much-anticipated Q&A with graphic designer Peter Saville took place in Beverly Hills. The moderator was Christopher Mount, former architecture and design curator at MOMA in NYC and editor-in-chief of I.D. Magazine. The event was free to the public, and worth every penny.


The conversation began around 7:15, and jumped right into the early Manchester scene--Saville's co-founding of Factory Records, working with Joy Division, the death of Ian Curtis, and evolution of New Order. Saville was very frank about him and his friends not knowing what they were doing, and breaking rules (design, business, and otherwise) without even knowing it.


During the hour-long talk, Saville also described applying his currency from the music world to do work in fashion in his 30s, dabble in Hollywood later on, and delve into politics now that he's in his 50s. He currently works for the city of Manchester, which sponsored the talk in an effort to boost awareness and tourism, as its Creative Director. What a job title.


Afterward, there was a reception with food and music. Wendy's friend Ian, above. Below, Saville with guest DJ Tim Burgess of the Charlatans. I saw Saville signing Burgess' vinyl that he designed, which made me feel better about fanning out and a little bummed about all my vinyl being in storage away from the man and his Sharpie.


On the way out, we received goody bags including a Saville postcard and program for the Manchester International Festival coming up in July. Also, a very soft T-shirt with the evening's logo and a subtle tribute to the color-coded alphabet from the Power, Corruption, and Lies album cover.


There was also a signed-and-numbered poster (out of 200) and Manchester tote. Funny thing is that during the talk Saville went off on the fashion industry--handbags, in particular. (I think these are utilitarian and probably approved by him, though.)


Seeing New Order at the Santa Monica Civic on the Low Life tour (with fellow Factory band Abcdarians) was one of my first "real" concerts. Later on, I saw them on the Brotherhood and Substance tours, too. Funny thing, though, is that while I pored over album artwork (and felt the textures of some of them as well), I never even thought about the design or designer. To have this behind-the-scenes look so many years later--putting it into the context of art, design, and culture--is amazing.