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In 2007, Piercy established air conditioned, a graphic design firm in Santa Monica focusing predominantly on clients from creative industries. Los
Angeles writer Jack Skelley observed that Piercy's work in this period, no matter the context, exhibited wit and a sense of play: “Whether in advertising
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in London, working primarily on television graphics. He described his experience there as formative, teaching him standards that influenced him throughout his career: “The greatest lesson I learned there, and one that I carry with me always, is that they showed me how vital it is to use all of your
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Piercy himself repeated this advice to students, urging them above all to manifest themselves in their work: "There are plenty of designers in the world; we are doing perfectly well without you. But what there is a true lack of is great graphic designers. So that is your obligation if you are in
237:. It was at Ph.D that Piercy developed his mature style, which was characterized by its typography, “unique and delicious” use of color, art direction of fashion photography, and sense of humor; Ph.D's work was praised for its “visual acuity, crisp thinking and penetrating wit.”
160:, who he described as the “greatest living American graphic designer.” At the same time, he developed a fascination with American life and culture, and especially with southern California: “California was so glamorous...I was particularly enamored with Los Angeles, just looking at
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Piercy created and art-directed hundreds of projects for a wide range of clients, including posters, album covers, logos, book designs, signage, exterior graphics, exhibition designs, interior design concepts, and package designs. Among Piercy's better-known works:
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in
Pasadena, California, serving on the faculty of the Graphic Design and Illustration departments. “Teaching is a very big part of what I do,” he said. “It has fueled my creative soul in a big way.” In the 90's, he also taught graphic design at
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Design Group, Piercy created several well-known works and projects, including movie posters and album covers. He also helped re-design Santa Monica's
Shangri-La Hotel (“a dream job”), and designed the daily newspaper supplement on the
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outside influences and interests in your work, that ideas count for much more than showy layouts, and that an atmosphere of friendship and good humor must inhabit any worthwhile creative studio environment.”
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this class, to be great. And the greatest thing you can do as a designer is have work that is representative of your character, that reflects who you are, that is a manifestation of your taste."
202:. “It was so exciting to be here in the eighties,” he said. “There was so much sky in Los Angeles, compared to where I had come from,” said Piercy. “You can't help but be influenced by it.”
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noted Piercy's “keen vision, especially about L.A. I think it may have taken a
British ex-pat to have such clear eyes about the left coast. He taught me to see Los Angeles.”
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As a teenager, Piercy developed two preoccupations: graphic design, and
America. Piercy said later that realized he wanted to be designer by age 11, when he first saw the
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in London as an editorial designer. There he met and partnered with designer
Michael Hogdson, with whom he continued a professional collaboration for several decades.
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In 2023, a retrospective exhibit of Piercy's life and work, "HELLO LA: Clive Piercy - Inside the Mind of a
Designer," was mounted at Art Center College of Design.
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403:, a type of vernacular apartment building that was popular in Los Angeles in the 1950s and 1960s, and which was first brought to scholarly attention in
339:(1995). Piercy and Sabel designed and produced serial killer John Doe's highly visual diaries, which figured prominently in the film and film titles.
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or art, Clive fused word and image with an arch slyness. Even the most straightforward layout held a layer of satire, or at least playfulness.”
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With partner
Michael Hodgson, Piercy founded Ph.D, a design and communications firm in Santa Monica. Clients included
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139:, England, United Kingdom, to Kitty (nee Burke) and Ray Piercy. He was the youngest of three children.
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Piercy received multiple recognitions for his design work, both solo and in collaboration with others:
113:, his color sense, his visual wit, and for bringing a British sensibility to the California aesthetic.
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In 1982, Piercy emigrated to the United States with his wife, illustrator Ann Field. They settled in
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Piercy was married to
British-American illustrator Ann Field, with whom he collaborated frequently.
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Piercy studied graphic design and illustration at
Brighton School of Art and Technology (now the
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601:"Clive Piercy, "Clive Piercy on the Presentation Graphics Department at BBC Television""
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In 1979, Piercy took a position in the in-house design department at the
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672:"Clive Piercy: Without Him L.A. Would Not Have Been Quite as Creative"
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Unplugged kitchen: A Return to the Simple, Authentic Joys of Cooking
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Piercy won multiple design awards, and was named a Fellow of the
698:""Quintessentially L.A.," Los Angeles Times, October 23, 2003"
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Nomination, James Beard Award for Restaurant Design (2012)
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In addition, Piercy collaborated with John Sabel on the
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97:(May 29, 1955 – August 20, 2017) was a British-American
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Living in a Modern Way: California Design, 1930-1965
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409:Los Angeles: the Architecture of Four Ecologies
397:Pretty Vacant: The Los Angeles Dingbat Observed
269:Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts
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447:He died in Santa Monica in 2017, of cancer.
347:In 2009, Piercy was named a Fellow of the
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648:"Apolis | People: Clive Piercy, Designer"
373:, Chandler Fine Art, San Francisco (2004)
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302:(2006) (collaboration with Ann Field)
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850:Alumni of the University of Brighton
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153:Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
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125:American Institute of Graphic Arts
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497:"Fellow Award | AIGA Los Angeles"
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855:Deaths from cancer in California
430:Otis College of Art & Design
343:Awards, honors, and exhibitions
309:, edited by Wendy Kaplan (2011)
183:From 1978-79, Piercy worked at
109:. He was noted for his use of
296:Curb Your Enthusiasm: The Book
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577:"The One Club / The One Show"
425:Art Center College of Design
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381:100 Years of Graphic Design
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470:"Remembering Clive Piercy"
423:Piercy was a professor at
395:In 2003, Piercy published
316:by Eames Demetrios (2013)
41:August 20, 2017 (aged 62)
554:colinmarshall.libsyn.com
200:Santa Monica, California
131:Early life and education
45:Santa Monica, California
762:"ArtCenter Exhibitions"
521:"Quintessentially L.A."
845:People from Cheltenham
371:Bleak: American Beauty
205:As a designer at the
652:www.apolisglobal.com
274:Album cover design,
254:Album cover design,
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621:"AIGA Fellow Award"
501:losangeles.aiga.org
364:Late Night Sessions
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185:Harpers & Queen
168:photos, all that.”
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80:Ann Field (m. 1979)
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116:American designer
780:Los Angeles Times
737:"Michael Hodgson"
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179:Professional life
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245:Notable works
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812:. Retrieved
810:. 2017-08-23
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784:. Retrieved
782:. 2004-01-25
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745:. Retrieved
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95:Clive Piercy
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29:May 29, 1955
20:Clive Piercy
865:2017 deaths
860:1955 births
716:Ruth Atkins
300:Larry David
144:Peter Blake
118:Paula Scher
107:Los Angeles
53:Nationality
829:Categories
814:2019-09-09
786:2019-09-09
747:2019-09-09
741:GRAMMY.com
722:2019-09-09
682:2019-09-09
657:2019-09-09
630:2019-09-09
606:2019-09-09
586:2019-09-09
559:2019-09-09
530:2019-09-09
506:2019-09-09
479:2019-09-09
451:References
256:Elton John
235:Quiksilver
164:films and
137:Cheltenham
111:typography
413:Ed Ruscha
166:Max Yavno
127:in 2009.
61:Education
419:Teaching
407:'s book
327:. (2003)
214:for the
207:Rod Dyer
150:' album
99:designer
401:dingbat
391:Writing
148:Beatles
366:(1999)
335:movie
264:(1983)
233:, and
103:London
85:Awards
77:Spouse
337:Se7en
298:, by
47:, USA
808:KCRW
676:JSPR
223:Nike
105:and
38:Died
26:Born
192:BBC
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