(Written in January 2012 upon learning of Theo Dimson's death.)
1969 … an easy year to pin down as
it’s when I graduated from the Advertising Department of the Ontario College of
Art. I must have gone for more than 30 interviews (one of our instructors, Bob
Mitchell, had given us a list of people to see about work … he suggested that
if they didn’t have a job they may well know of someone who did) and at some
point I found myself at the door of Reeson, Dimson & Smith in the office
tower at the southeast corner of St. Clair and Avenue Road where I was bound to
have the second most memorable interview of the lot (the most memorable being
the very last one that actually netted me an underling art department
position). I was beckoned in by Theo Dimson himself who looked much trendier than
I had in all my time at OCA — I recall him being a symphony of flamboyant bell
bottoms and colourful paisley patterns. Theo was very friendly and affable. The
walls were festooned with very impressive samples of the studio’s work. After
looking through my portfolio, Theo said something about my work being evenly
split between design and illustration and that someday someone would make me
choose one or the other — and that I shouldn’t let them. Nobody had ever
suggested this to me before. I realized that it made a lot of sense. I thanked
Mr. Dimson and returned to my quest for employment. With this nugget of
knowledge wedged deep within my head.
Soon
after I lucked into book publisher McClelland & Stewart where my first
employer, Frank Newfeld, was also a designer/illustrator … so he wasn’t going
to be the one to make me choose. Over the years I designed many books and even
got to illustrate some of them plus I diversified and did some magazine and
newspaper illustration. I continued to see work by Theo Dimson … he even did a
book jacket design while I was still at M&S (for a corporate history of
Eaton’s). We were all very impressed by the quality of Theo’s finished artwork.
Then in 1988 personal computers appeared and took the book industry (and everywhere
else) by storm but I decided not to join and instead develop my career as an
illustrator. I was told by a number of production people that if I didn’t get a
computer they wouldn’t be able to use me to design their books anymore. So that
was that. I lapsed into a sort of Luddite wasteland for a decade … at some
point I threw out all my Letraset, gave away my photostat camera, waxer and
discarded all my type catalogues. Didn’t need any of that stuff in my new job
description of illustrator only.
One
morning in 1999 I awoke (in the midst of a couple of design jobs that had shown
up that I was woefully ill-equipped to handle) and remembered Theo Dimson’s
warning from so many decades before. Head smack! I’d let it happen and I was no
longer a designer. I’d allowed “them” to force me to make that choice.
I
bought a computer, scanner, printer, programs, etc and I once again set up shop
as a designer. It didn’t take me long to get back into the swing. Interestingly
virtually all the people who had made me choose seemed to have disappeared. I
now use my computer for both design and illustration applications.
I
was very sorry to learn that Theo Dimson has passed on. That is one very
impressive legacy of design and illustration that he left behind. RIP.
From Dimson's Facebook page....
See life as a 10 year old
Dress like an 18 year old
Think like a 25 year old
Beautiful women are my elixir of life
Dress like an 18 year old
Think like a 25 year old
Beautiful women are my elixir of life
No comments:
Post a Comment