Design Machine in the early Seventies had a studio in the basement of a house in Park Street W1. It was there because of Park Street's proximity to all the record companies. PYE in ATV house, Philips at Marble Arch, HMV Manchester Sq, CBS in Soho Sq. etc. The room was small approx. 12' x 12' into which we crammed 3 Designers and a finished artist. plus any student on work placement. The Grant Enlarger, an essential piece of equipment for any design group stood in the hall next to the toilets under the pavement. Come the 3 day week we were knackered because, we were only allowed the lights on for 3 days, suggesting that we could only work 3 days in 7. Only the Conservatives could come up with such a stupid plan. It would have been cheeper to give the power workers the money. However the wartime spirit lived on through us. Deadlines were deadlines and we prided ourselves on delivering. It is a strange thing that when money is in short supply people spend more on records, so we were doubly busy. I took out my Jones hand cranked sewing machine and ran up some blackout curtains. Behind these we beavered away producing sleeve after sleeve and adverts for all the breaking records to go into the music press. Some weeks over 50 ads of different sizes were art worked ready for the Friday lunchtime deadline of the likes of NME, Music Week, Record Mirror, Sounds, Billboard etc.
At first we used candles and tilly lamps, but eventually we thought, sod it, and turned on the lights.
They couldn't shoot us. Could they?
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