Brian Tattersfield is a designer and co-founder of the international design agency, Minale Tattersfield, well known for the brand name of Harrods.
Brian Tattersfield was born in Yorkshire in 12/4/1936. He trained originally as a painter and illustrator before studying graphic design at the Royal College of Art under Bob Gill in London. After qualifying he went onto work as a designer for a printing house in Spain and Switzerland.
Brian Tattersfield Journey, as a Graphic Design Artist
On returning to England in 1962 – 1963 he went to work with Fletcher, Forbes and Gill as their designer, moving onto the London Advertising Agency Young and Rubicam and proceeded to be so successful in his career that he soon became their art director. It was there that he met his future business partner, Marcello Minale.
In 1964, they left Young and Rubicam and together founded Minale Tattersfield, where Brian became joint art director. In the first year of the new agency he sealed its success with the signing of Harrods as a client. Later that year saw the publication of a book entitled ‘Creatures Great and Small’ which was written by Michael Flanders of Flanders and Swann fame with illustrations by Marcello Minale.
Minale Tattersfield Company
The company was established at a time when a new era of design agencies were being founded, adopting a more simplistic creative approach and led by influential American designers. Minale Tattersfield’s corporate logo – the ‘Scribble’ – exemplified this trend, suggesting the company was about ‘ideas scribbled on a piece of paper’ versus the more organised, formal thinking of the time. The business grew quickly, attracting numerous blue chip clients and global brands including Harrods, The FA Premier League, Eurostar, Imperial War Museum, ICC (International Cricket Council), Sydney Olympics, BP and Transport for London.
In the succeeding few years Minale Tattersfield designed the identities for Thames Television as well as creating award-winning poster designs for Alitalia and the Italian Trade Centre. Working with renowned industrial designer Achille Castiglioni in 1969 the agency designed a tubular steel and leather chair for Zanotta Furniture which is now part of MoMA’s collection in New York.
Brian Tattersfield was a visiting lecturer for the Royal College of Arts in 1978 and visiting professor of Design at the University of Brighton from 1988 onwards.
His design awards are listed as: Typomundus Canada 1964; ‘Creativity on Paper’ New York 1966, Silver award Design and Art Design 1968 (1970 and 1974-84), Gold award Art Director’s Club New York 1975, Poster award ‘Warsaw Biennale’ 1969, British Poster Design award 1970, Liderman Gold award for Graphic Design Madrid 1983, Civic Trust Award 1985, Design and Art Design president’s award for Outstanding Contribution to British Design 1987.
He has been involved in the following exhibitions: MOMA New York 1978, London Design Centre 1981, Glasgow Design Centre 1981, MOMA Milan 1983, and the Cultural Centre of Madrid
Brian Tattersfield retired from the company in 1996 while Minale continued in his role as managing director and chairman until his untimely death in 2000.
