name: Michael Gillette
occupation: Illustrator
hometown: Swansea, Wales
homebase: San Francisco
how did it feel when penguin books commissioned you to design the infamous Bond girls for the 14 special edition covers? Well, Penguin made me pitch 3 different covers before they gave me the job. So there was a skating on thin ice period, which suppressed some of the joy, but basically, really jazzed.
what would you say is the one commonality that all the bond girls share?
I think that there is the promise of sex and the threat of murder.
were there any creative challenges in designing each or any of the covers?
The premise of the girls with integral type was a little limiting, so the challenge was to keep things interesting within that formula. Some colours were harder to crack than others and demanded that I change the approach to painting.
do you have a daily indulegence? I go out for coffee to a different cafe every morning. Recently, I've noticed increasing pastry action.
as a transplant from london, are there any huge changes or differences that applies to your work style or mood now that you're californian?
I think that moving to California opened the door to far more nature in my work. I also relinquished a lot of my London creative mentality, which was a lot more frantic, I guess I've mellowed out a fair bit.
what was your first commercial job as an artist?
I did some sleeve work for the Saint Etienne album "So Tough," which were paintings for the inner sleeve logos. They were my favourite current band towards the end of college and the only people I could think of approaching. I was really lucky that they were receptive as it really kick started me out of that post college malaise.
your early start was designing music album covers for the beastie boys, beck and elastica to name a few. was music and art an accidental thing for you or was it the plan to somehow work within the mix of the two?
I went to art college with the idea that I was going to join a band and that was going to be my future. I'd been playing regularly in groups since my early teens. However, about half way through college, I realized that this wasn't going to happen and I'd better apply myself to the task in hand. Music was still the motivating inspiration though and I felt comfortable working with musicians, more so often than designers at that point. It was also a lot more fun working for bands in my early 20's, being part of that scene.
three favorite songs in your iPod:
The most played on my iTunes are:
1. "Time Will Show the Wiser" by The Merry-Go-Round (198 plays) The group was led by Emitt Rhodes, he's a one man Beatles. This is a great pop psyche track.
2. "The Wabe" by Peter Yarrow (176 plays) This is a sunshine pop setting of Lewis Carol's The Jabberwocky, it's by the Peter of Peter, Paul and Mary
3. "Big Green Pearl" by Orpheus (167 plays) It's a big harmony pop number.
what's your favorite bond film?
Live and Let Die for Jane Seymour, Maccas' song and the voodoo vibe.
inspiration comes from...
Remaining open, awake and curious.
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