The Wild World of Barney Bubbles

Book excerpt: 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 This revised edition of Paul Gorman’s definitive Barney Bubbles monograph contains hundreds of rare and previously unpublished photographs, working sketches, notebooks and original artwork.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.