Alan Fletcher

Alan Fletcher was born on 27 September 1931 and died on the 21 September 2006. He was regarded as one of the most creative and highly respected graphic designers of his generation. Fletcher lived most of his early life in England, apart from his birth which was in Nairobi, Kenya. His education included the Hammersmith school of art, the Royal college of art, and Yale university.

In 1962 he created a design company with two other graphic designers, Colin Forbes and Bob Gill naming the design firm Fletcher/Forbes/Gill. The client list for this firm included names like Cunard, Pirelli, Penguin Books and Olivetti. The trio was short lived as Gill left in 1965 and was replaced with Theo Crosby changing the name of the company to Crosby/Fletcher/Forbes. Two new members joined and the company eventually formed into Pentagram.

Much of Fletchers work is still in use today. His logos for the Victoria and Albert museum and the Institute of Directors. He retired from pentagram in 1992, working from home where he was assisted by his daughter. His philosophy was “design is not a thing you do. It’s a way of life.”

He has wrote several books on graphic design, with titles like Beware Wet Paint and The Art of Looking Sideways.