Online Extra from Nov/Dec 2007 "An artist and a gentleman"
Neville Smith
Anecdotes and quotes from his peers
“It’s been a long time recognizing him because he doesn’t wear a red dress. In the design world he’s the strong, silent man… almost like a very pleasant Clint Eastwood.
“There’s been a lot of hype and fad in graphic design. Neville has been able to avoid all.
“Neville’s work in principle has never changed. It has grown, produced maybe a more mature or riper grape but it’s still that grape, still recognizable as Neville’s work. And in this way Neville is what architects would call a signature designer.
“I’m thrilled for Neville that he has won, and I’m disappointed for the graphic artists that it took so long for a man of this stature to win. He’s been producing top work forever.”
– Ron Keenberg, owner of Ikoy Architects, Chelsea, Que.
“He chose to live and practise in Ottawa. It wasn’t the easiest thing to do. I’m sure there was a lot of career pressure to be in Toronto where everything was but he managed to stay in Ottawa and influence people and astonish people with his fabulous designs, and still be a player as it were, but still remain distanced to it all. That’s an added dimension to his stuff.”
– Bill Grigsby, selection committee chair, Les Usherwood Award, ADCC
“His work is very elegant and has that timeless quality. It still looks contemporary, doesn’t show its age.”
– Toronto-based designer Louis Fishauf
“He’s very thoughtful, very contemplative. There’s a lot of stillness around Neville as he is prepared to listen quietly and absorb what you’re saying. The ultimate, evolved way to work with artists such as Neville is not to direct them in an artistic way but simply to say what you’re trying to evoke. And he is the consummate translator of that. His work is very reflective of many, many conversations and in many cases vociferous debates, which I always lost, because Neville in his quiet, stolid way just won the day and convinced me.
“He’s a true artist in my opinion, even though he’s a graphic designer. I’ve often said to him, ‘I’d love to see what would happen if you threw paint on a canvas,’ but he’s a designer. A minimalist.”
– Jonina Wood, editor in chief, Canada a Portrait, Statistics Canada
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