Dossier 33 - David Hillman

1 minidisc, 2 cds, 1 file, 2 AIFF files (1.21 GB)

Interview with David Hillman, designer for the Guardian. Conducted by Mark Porter on 10 January 2002. Also includes a data sheet containing biographical details about the subject and information about the recording and notes and track guide by Mark Porter.

Summary contents of interview (with rough timings):

Disc 1:
Track 1
00:40 Getting started with the Guardian. Design of newspapers both in Great Britain and on the Continent
02:40 Differing views about how much redesign was needed
04:10 Members of the design team
05:00 Technology of redesign - new processes and innovation
05:50 Reading the Guardian as a student, the only paper that allowed 'white space' on its pages
06:00 Differences and similarities between the 'metal' and 'film' processes. Easier process for drop-caps
06:50 No one could say how much re-design was needed
08:10 Working between Farringdon Road and the design studio. Differences between a daily paper and a weekly

10:50 Changing position of newspapers. News versus comment/analysis
12:30 Reaction to Guardian redesign - 'do you feel guilty for killing off a famous newspaper?'
14:10 Coverage of launch in tv media
14:45 Work outside of newspapers
16:50 Readers letters about the redesign - Spike Milligan and quote, 'got the comic, where's the newspaper'
17:50 New ideas about the order of sections in the paper
18:25 Making a presentation of the new style to the staff - everyone accepted it

20:00 First issue of new style was a day with no news, 'couldn't have had a worse day'
22:20 Continual work to make the design work
25:00 Working closely with Mike McNay and Jonathan Fenby
26:40 Working from brief to completion, Lee Brownsword taking the training sessions
28:15 Watching the guys doing layout, trying to cope with the new grid system

30:10 Writing stories to a length that would fit the new grid system
33:20 Use of colour, only wanted it used when it was actually needed and when they could produce to quality
35:00 European review magazine - couldn't afford to do it
35:50 Growth of the sections within the Guardian. G2's birth out of market research
37:10 Quote about Simon Esterson - 'making G2 look as though it had been loved and thought about'
37:20 Computer technology and the paper. Use of Macs to get better quality
38:40 Producing mock headlines to style
39:20 Using a computer versus using a pencil

42:00 Eternally associated with the Guardian redesign
44:55 Respect for the Guardian outside of GB
47:45 Problems with the 'h' in 'The Guardian' - months of discussion about this one 'h'
49:10 Impressions of modern Guardian
51:00 Uniqueness of working for the Guardian as opposed to any other newspaper
53.00 *

Restricted - access to edited copy via GNM Digital Repository.

Copyright: Guardian News & Media Ltd and David Hillman