POP ICON: Clifford Richards

NO, NOT THE WIMBLEDON SINGING SIXTIES POP ICON. Clifford Richards - the famed graphic/paper products designer, who created cutting-edge London store Paperchase’s key products back in the day - is a whole different pop icon altogether. And now, at age 73 - and a grandfather many times over - his profile is on the rise again.

Cliff’s new moment in the spotlight comes courtesy of the V&A museum, who bought much of his paper work from the 1960s and 70s for its permanent collections a couple of years ago. It has since commissioned him to produce exhibition graphics for its Sixties Fashion show, as well as a number of graphics for the recently reopened V&A’s Museum of Childhood in 2007. (Their shop currently sells several of his exclusive print products.)

Gloria Daniel of the Big Tomato Company spotted Richards’ book in the V&A shop, called him up out of the blue, and persuaded him to reissue versions of his original psychedelic Paperchase animal-print gift boxes for her London-based design company. ”They got quite a lot of attention,” admits Richards, whose collaboration with Daniel and the Big Tomato Company has since produced a funky set of crockery and artwork featuring smart graphic robots (the crockery is available from the BTC plus Graham & Green - from £11.95 for a mug); individual signed prints available from www.pedlars.co.uk, as well as a reissue of Richard’s famed Noah’s Ark poster (pictured above) that adorned many a kid’s wall back in the early 70s.

The famous poster (also available as wrapping paper from £1.80) has now been digitalized, so it could even be ordered large enough to cover a whole wall, and Cliff has fully embraced computer aided design: “It’s made things easier - we were using ink, and ruling pens and compasses. Technology has come to my aid.”

Next up is a collaboration with a Swedish children’s design manufacturer, and he’s currently publicising a range of imaginative, colourful, happy wall-mounted storage for kids and hallways with The Original Metal Box Company (from £60-£125). ”It’s funny because apart from the poster I never really intended to design for children at all,” admits Cliff from his home in Cirencester. “Those early slot-together figures [similar to the images below] were really just done as decorative things for the home. But I guess I’ve never grown up. I look around at everyone else in rehab [luckily for us, Richards is successfully recovering from a triple heart bypass] and wonder why I’m surrounded by old people. And then I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror!”

See more of Clifford Richards’ work at www.cliffordrichards.com and below in our gallery.