Reading Assignment: Chapters 18,19 & 20
The International Typographic Style, The New York School & Corporate Identity and Visual Systems
During this week's reading I became interested by Michael Salisbury. There was something familiar about his name and his work for Rolling Stone that got me thinking I knew his work. After five minutes of research I realized this guy was a part of everything. Literally everything. He's one of the most iconic branding masters ever. Just looking at his client list you already know the guy is a big deal. He's the reason Michael Jackson wore one white glove, he was the one who suggested to put Paris in L'Oreal, he helped create the 'The City of Entertainment' branding for MGM Grand, he's done branding for the popular video game Halo and has received a Grammy for his work on an album design. Grammy! It's ridiculous how many things he's been a part of. These achievements are only a fraction of what he's done. Salisbury has created the highest earning re-branding in American business history.
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| Companies that Salisbury has worked for. |
One of my favorite projects of Salisbury's is the branding of Michael Jackson's solo career. After seeing Jackson in the movie, The Wiz, Salisbury contacted Jackson's agent to immediately work with him. Salisbury felt Jackson had everything it takes to be a big star and was anxious to work on anything with him. After looking at some album cover mock ups that looked cheap Salisbury decided to take on the project and had some ideas. Salisbury believed Jackson needed to be presented as a big artist. He felt that fashion would help elevate Jackson to a higher level. So he decided to put him into a tuxedo that would scream "big deal" all over it.
The agent hemmed and hawed and was just about to dismiss the whole nutty idea when a little, high-pitched voice softly squeaked, “I like it,” and Michael stepped out from behind the drape covering the large office window. "Let's just do it," he said.
So we did.
After the first photo shoot at Griffith Observatory at the Hollywood Planetarium was a bust.
he genius behind Michael Jackson’s iconic image in black pants, glittery socks, and loafers wearing a single white glove.
Q: What else did you do to create the look that has become engrained in our popular culture?
Here, (left) is my first attempt at the photo for the cover of his solo album. After reviewing it, I thought that it didn’t show the real Michael. We were rushed and Michael was just not that into it. I thought he was a little too serious. We needed to shoot this differently. I mean, this album cover was just for him, not him and four other brothers.
I suggested we re-shoot it and when we did, I directed him to be more animated. I suggested he smile and exaggerate the pulling up of his pants and get into it like he was dancing. He was a great sport and agreed to do the re-shoot. We did the second photo shoot against a wall and voilá—“Off the Wall." (Below)
Q: Did you also suggest Michael wear a white glove?
Salisbury: The white socks were so successful in drawing attention to Michael and his dance moves, there was a conversation about doing gloves, too. White gloves. To me, I felt that would start looking literally Mickey Mouse (and of course Michael was a big Mickey Mouse fan). Between the agent and Michael and me, we got it down to one white glitzy glove. Another great move for attention.
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| Ed Ruscha's painting for West magazine |
While working as art director for West magazine (1967-1972) Salisbury commissioned Ed Ruscha to create a cover for the magazine. The cover has the appearance of spilled liquids that form into words.
“My only direction to Ruscha was to use the word west,” recalls Salisbury, who owned the oil after the artist presented it to him as a gift. “A lot of our covers symbolized the west. This had the sun going down in a blue sky and the letters forming the word West emerging from the ocean. It is one of the few pieces of editorial advertising, commercial graphic art that is considered fine art, which is quite an accomplishment,” notes Salisbury.
Ruscha's cover recently sold for over $600,000 in 2009 at Christie’s Post War and Contemporary Art auction at Rockefeller Center in New York. This piece is considered one of the most expensive editorial or advertisement sold as fine art.
For more information check out Salisbury's official blog: http://www.onehellofaneye.com/
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