Ben Kelly: Design Plans

Ben Kelly is an influential and original independent designer whose work has included private houses, shops, nightclubs and showrooms. Among his best-known projects have been the much-imitated Manchester nightclub, the Hacienda, and the Smile hairdressing salon in Chelsea. Both show the obsessive atention to detail characteristic of the Kelly style, and which is also expressed in this book, art directed by Peter Saville, a collaborator on several award-winning graphic projects. Ben Kelly Design's most recent commission was the Dry Bar in Manchester, winner of a first prize in the 1989 Designers Jornal awards. Kelly uses the book to examine the way design evolves, to record the influences on his work, and to explore the relationship between art and design. Ben Kelly has twice won D&AD awards for graphics, and this book is another outstandingly designed object. Catherine McDermott introduces Kelly, and provides a catalogue of his work.