The Wild World of Barney Bubbles: Graphic Design and the Art of Music

by Paul Gorman

A celebration of a graphic design genius, published to mark what would have been his 80th birthday.  The Wild World of Barney Bubbles  celebrates the graphic design genius whose work linked the underground optimism of the 60s to the sardonic and manipulative art that accompanied the explosion of punk. Barney Bubbles remains a powerful influence on contemporary artists four decades after his death, having encompassed designs for Sir Terence Conran and underground magazines  Oz  and  Friends  as well as remarkable record sleeves and posters for Billy Bragg, Elvis Costello, Depeche Mode, Ian Dury, Hawkwind, The Damned and Nick Lowe. He also collaborated with artists and photographers, including Derek Boshier and Brian Griffin, and produced paintings, furniture, set designs and promo videos, not least the era-defining clip for The Specials’ 80’s hit, "Ghost Town." This revised edition of Paul Gorman’s definitive Barney Bubbles monograph contains hundreds of rare and previously unpublished photographs, working sketches, notebooks and original artwork. It includes a new essay by American designer Clarita Hinojosa and sixteen extra pages of rare ephemera painstakingly collected by the author over the years.  580 color illustrations

224 pages, Paperback

Published July 26, 2022

Reviews

[Michael Harring · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a labor of love. One of the few design retrospectives that offer more insight into individual designs than biographical detail, which I really appreciated. It gives the reader a very good understanding of the concept, process, context, references, and even a little analysis of many works. It’s one of the few design books I’ve encountered where the author has put so much effort into explaining the work itself, and I love it for that. I also appreciate the sober look at changing trends toward the end of Bubbles life, an acknowledgement that the music industry is driven by trends and the hot new thing. I like to think Bubbles would have found a way forward if he stuck with us, but I believe most middle aged creatives can relate to the feeling of obsolescence he hints at in his letters.

There were a few aspects I didn’t love as much. The layout is beautiful but has a tendency to have the text run too close to the gutter, making it a little uncomfortable to read. Also, the images of the work and the text describing them are so disjointed that it’s often easier to Google the specific art under discussion than try to track it down in the book. Some of the pieces referred to aren’t even featured at all, which can make it especially frustrating. On many occasions, when I finally stumbled on the work mentioned, I had only a vague idea that it had been mentioned a ways back. Just a simple page citation to flip to the work in question would be a major improvement. Even so, this is an excellent book about an influential designer, and an easy recommendation to fans.

[Katy Wheatley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even if you don't think you know Barney Bubbles, if you are a music fan, you probably do. So much of Bubbles' graphic work was used by the music industry for decades, from Hawkwind to Ian Dury, his innovative approach helped shape how we consume popular culture and has provided inspiration for many designers coming after him. This is a marvellous book with enough technical information to please designers and enough of everything else to please the layman. The amount of illustrations and photos of his work is really generous and pleasing and the detail is wonderful.

[Ray Smillie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was aware of Barney Bubbles mainly through his work with Stiff and Radar (the nod to Kandinsky on the cover of Music For Pleasure by the Damned is wonderful) but he did much more than that. I wasn't aware of his Hawkwind work nor all the other singles and albums artwork he was responsible for over the years. This is a publication I took great pleasure from and will continue to do so for many years.