Colin Banks | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1932-01-16)16 January 1932 Ruislip, England |
| Died | 9 March 2002(2002-03-09) (aged 70) Blackheath, London, England |
| Education | Kent Institute of Art & Design |
| Alma mater | University for the Creative Arts |
| Occupations | Designer and typographer |
Colin Banks (16 January 1932 – 9 March 2002) was an English designer who co-founded Banks & Miles, designers and typographers, inLondon in 1958 withJohn Miles. Major clients of the partnership included theConsumers' Association, thePost Office,British Telecom andLondon Transport, for whom they redesignedEdward Johnston's famous "Underground Sans" typeface, asNew Johnston.
Banks was born inRuislip, England, and grew up inMargate. He went to Rochester and Maidstone schools of art (both becameKent Institute of Art & Design, then eventually theUniversity for the Creative Arts), and met John Miles at Maidstone.
With John Miles, he was the Production Editor ofWhich?, and associated magazines, from 1964 to 1993.
Banks was an influential designer, and his Telecom (T) identity, created forBritish Telecommunications when it was instituted in 1981, spawned many imitators. Its replacement byWolff Olins' BT "piper" was received with much derision in 1991. Banks received a prestigious RSA/BBC Design Award in 1990, for the paper-saving redesign of the UK's Phonebook. Miles and Banks designed theRoyal Mail's and theUK Post Office's distinctive "double-line" alphabet in 1972 andNew Johnston, a revival ofEdward Johnston's "Underground Sans", forLondon Transport. They also designed the logo ofLancaster University.
Banks was President of theInternational Society of Typographic Designers (ISTD) from 1988 to 1993 and 2000 to 2002.
His approach is described by David Jury in the bookAbout Face: "For Banks, it was important to respect the spirit of Johnston rather than adhere mechanically to the construction rules which would have made any further development of the design impossible." Banks would later design a limited-edition book for the organisation as a tribute toEdward Johnston.
He was married since 1961 to zoologist Dr Caroline Grigson[1] (daughter of the poetGeoffrey Grigson and his first wife). They had a daughter, Frances, who was killed in a road accident in 1978, and a son, Joe.
In 2002 Banks died ofcancer inBlackheath, London, aged 70.[2]
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