The legacy of Frank Pick’s iconic designs, which have influenced travel in London since the 1920’s, is to be commemorated with a permanent memorial at Piccadilly Circus, Transport for London (TfL) and the London Transport Museum (LTM) have announced.
The independent sponsorship agency brandmeetsbrand has been appointed to find a commercial partner for the memorial, which is designed by the BAFTA winning and Turner Prize nominated artists Langlands & Bell. The piece will be unveiled on 7 November this year to mark the 75th anniversary of Pick’s death.
Frank Pick oversaw what is widely acknowledged to be transport design’s Golden Age. He commissioned works that include many of the most recognisable components of London’s transport design identity: Edward Johnston’s typeface, early London Transport publicity posters, distinctive station architecture, and crucially, the bar and circle logo – the roundel – that is recognised the world over.
Sam Mullins, Director at London Transport Museum, said: “Most people recognise the world-famous Tube logo and the early London Transport publicity posters yet know very little about the man who commissioned this modern design for London’s transport system.
“We look forward to working with a sponsor who shares our enthusiasm for the lasting impact Frank Pick had on London’s rich design history.”
Gareth Powell, Director of Strategy for London Underground, said: “Frank Pick’s energy and vision changed the face of public transport in London. He was passionate and committed to good design and believed it was key to a progressive, modern business or public service, bringing order, style and efficiency to everything an organisation does.
We are seeking a sponsorship partner to help us commemorate and acknowledge the tremendous contribution that Pick’s visionary design commissions continue to have on London.”
For Frank Pick, design was not an optional extra to make things look good, but a central part of ‘fitness for purpose’. From vehicles and architecture to information and publicity, everything that was designed contributed to the total effect. He wanted every element to show the organisation as modern, efficient and confident.
In 1933, the London Passenger Transport Board was created to bring the Capital’s bus, tram and Underground services under the control of a single unified public authority. Frank Pick, who had risen to become Managing Director of the Underground Group in 1928, was made Vice Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, a role he retained until 1940.
Art on the Underground, TfL’s art programme will be working closely with the artists and will be responsible for managing the creation and installation of the memorial at Piccadilly Circus station.
The Frank Pick Memorial is part of Transported by Design, a joint programme between TfL and LTM, which celebrates pioneering design and the positive effect it has on life in London. The programme’s first project was a search for London’s most loved transport designs. Frank Pick’s work won a place in the top ten, joining other Design Icons including the black taxi and the Tube map. A one day festival in Regent Street is taking place this summer to showcase the past present and future of transport design including the work of Frank Pick. Further detail on Transported by Design can be found at www.tfl.gov.uk/campaign/transported-by-design.
Potential sponsors and visitors can learn more about Frank Pick at the Museum’s London by Design exhibition, which is part of the Transported by Design programme. Go to www.ltmuseum.co.uk for more information
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Notes to Editors:
About brandmeetsbrand
brandmeetsbrand is an independent sponsorship agency, launched in 2003, which specialises in sourcing sponsorship for sport, entertainment, arts and the public sector.
Karen Morris, Director, brandmeetsbrand T: 020 7482 6635
E: karen@brandmeetsbrand.com
brandmeetsbrand.com | @brandmeetsbrand
About London Transport Museum
London Transport Museum explores the story of London and its transport system over the last 200 years, highlighting the powerful link between transport and the growth of modern London, culture and society since 1800. We care for over 450,000 items – preserving, researching and acquiring objects to use in our galleries, exhibitions and other activities.
As well as exploring the past, the Museum looks at present-day transport developments and concepts for urban transportation in the future, which includes a contemporary collecting policy for the benefit of future generations.
The Museum was granted charitable status in 2008 which has enabled us to secure funding from new sources such as the Heritage Lottery Fund, Arts Council England, and trusts and foundations including the Luke Rees-Pulley Charitable Trust, thereby extending our learning and engagement programmes. This funding enables the Museum to offer learning opportunities, skills development and engaging programming to a wide variety of audiences.
ltmuseum.co.uk | @ltmuseum
About Transport for London
TfL operates London buses, London Underground, London Overground, Tramlink, Emirates Air Line, TfL Rail, Santander Cycles and the Docklands Light Railway. It also licences Taxi and river services and is also responsible for the Congestion Charge. Its transport network supports 30 million journeys in London every day.
tfl.gov.uk | @TfL
About Langlands & Bell
Turner prize nominated and BAFTA winning artists, Ben Langlands & Nikki Bell, explore the complex web of relationships linking people and architecture and the coded systems of mass-communications and exchange we use to negotiate a fast changing technological world.
They are based in London and have exhibited widely internationally since the early 1980’s. Their art ranges from film and digital media projects to sculpture, installation, and full-scale architecture. Using an aesthetic framework it focuses on the structures we inhabit and the networks that penetrate and link them, while reflecting at a wider global level on the many ways space is encoded as social, political or economic territory.
langlandsandbell.com
About Art on the Underground
Art on the Underground is a pioneer in commissioning contemporary artworks that enrich the journeys of millions on the Tube every day. From large-scale commissions at Gloucester Road station to the pocket Tube map cover commissions, Art on the Underground has gathered a roll-call of the best artists over 15 years, maintaining art as a central element of Transport for London’s identity and engaging passengers and staff in a sense of shared ownership.
art.tfl.gov.uk| @aotulondon
