Here is Alan’s talk on the night about collaborating with Michael over the past 17 years (The book is jammed full of NB’s work) and the joyous process of making this book…

“Most people say that nothing is impossible, but I do nothing every day.”

A.A. Milne’s Winnie – the Pooh quote – is the second quote in Michael’s book ‘Leap before you look’. If you know Michael Wolff, it is rather apt.

I remember, over a cup of tea many years ago, Michael told me he had only done a day or two of full-time work his entire life. Which isn’t bad for an exceptionally human being who happens to be 90 and still working. But…It got me thinking about how Michael Wolff works, which, funny enough, was the working title of this book.

Michael is pure intuition, pure gut feeling and pure clarity of thought. Annoyingly, he’s always bloody right! But all those split seconds of thought have come together to make this book—all 324 pages.

The book didn’t start as a book. It began life as a presentation for Michael about 17 years ago.

Over the years, as NB worked on more projects and presentations with Michael, the most exciting stories were those behind the logo or design, the relationships and trust between designer and client and what happened behind the scenes.

He’d share stories about rejections and wins, his fights and love for Wally, his incredible experiences with Wolff Olins in the early 60s, and his travels and stories from around the world. Far too many to tell now – However, renting the studio out to The Grateful Dead, without telling Wally Olins over the Christmas period should be turned into a book in its own right.

Nick and I knew this book had to be written, as it’s more than just a nice-looking book about logos. It’s about the nuances of client relationships that result in extraordinary work. Perfect for today’s designers, strategists and marketers.

I’m happy to announce that Michael has just finished a year and two days of work on this book. It would have been completed more quickly, but we soon realised that publishing a book the traditional way is a labyrinthine nightmare.

So with Michael’s “Fuckem philosophy,” we self-published and created our own publishing house – Library st. I thought that’s a clever name for a publishing house. (Don’t tell anyone; half of NB studio backs onto a Library st.)

A logo was created – A bookworm, a worm made of books, perfect as Michael loves an animal logo drawn by Michaels and NB’s favourite collaborator, the artist Andrew Davidson.

Working on the book was sometimes chaotic but consistently brilliant. Michael would turn up at the studio often unannounced, certainly unscheduled and on seemingly random days of the week. Invariably, these days will be when all hell is breaking loose in the studio…a pitch, a deadline…

We’d drink lots of tea, discuss the day’s events, share stories and dust off memories. And there were always biscuits, lots of biscuits… Basically, do anything but design the book. Looking back, these moments were very special, as we would only ever spend 30 minutes designing – it was brilliant, fast, spontaneous and almost zen-like.

Occasionally, and indeed towards the intended publication date, we’d be joined by writer Tom Lynham. The quiet and calming influence on our usual way of doing things. He doesn’t drink tea, and he will not eat the biscuits.

We’d strategise, edit and gently argue the toss. Then Michael, having exhausted the possibilities and permutation of a particular issue, would say his polite goodbyes and leave exhausted.

“Is the book finished?” Nick Finney would often ask once the force of nature that was Michael had left and the dust settled.

I would mutter something inaudible….

But now it is finished. And it is perfect.

Nick and I are thrilled that Michael’s book is so well received and that he has received so much love from his friends and colleagues.

This product has been forged in the fires of design and brand thinking over many years.

And as Michael would say, “He’s going to tell you anyway.”