How to Design Heaven! Guy Schockaert’s Last Work

 

“Only the forgotten are truly dead.” This is how my day was formed yesterday. By those few words from my friend, Susana Machicao , announcing the new journey that Guy Schockaert, was taking. Speechless…

Unfortunately, I didn’t have the honor to meet this wonderful man, but the loss took me by surprise. Looking at his pictures he seemed so vibrant, so full of life… you still can’t believe it… I would really liked to have had him as a teacher since we share the same love for book design. Guy is a typographic and book designer that has worked for the last 35 years with both industry and cultural institutions. He adores typography! But he was also a man who loved to cook, a gardener, very funny and good hearted. Guy wanted to take design to new levels of understanding and use. One of the reasons he collaborated with professional associations in Belgium and across the world. Rigor and emotion summarize his philosophy. For sure, Guy is the man I should have met years ago and learned from. And I say “is” and not “was” because Guy lives amongst us, with his legacy, his designs, his knowledge and his morality he has passed to the next generations.

The “wonderful man that shared many of his dreams with us all” as Andrew Lewis expressed his grief.
“The man who never refused a smile and support” said Susana Machicao!
Guy Schockaert. The mr. Igograda!

Let’s read and learn more about him from these lines below taken from http://www.dexigner.com/ and let his memory live in our heart and mind forever…

Guy Schockaert was born in Courtrai, Belgium in 1949. After studying graphic arts and visual communication at the Institut Saint-Luc, Bruxelles he became an assistant to Michel Olyff before becoming self-employed as a graphic designer in 1971. His graphic studio “Ad hoc Design” specialises in corporate identity, books and brochures for a range of clients including Alfac, 3M, Plantin, Sic and RTBF. Schockaert advocates “rigour and emotion” in the message.

Schockaert has given numerous talks and is a tireless proponent of professional organisations such as Icograda. In total, he served on the Icograda Executive Board for eight years: as Treasurer from 1993-95; as President Elect from 1995-97; as President from 1997-99; and Past President from 1999-2001.

He is one of the initiators of “Design for the World”, an organisation dedicated to finding design solutions to humanitarian problems. Since 2003 he has been President of Ydesign Foundation in Belgium. In the last five years, he has taken up teaching, of which he says, “Teaching is a hard and difficult job… Passing on a single message per session is already a success.”

In his presentation, Mr. Lange recognised Schockaert’s outstanding contribution to Icograda and the design profession, particularly his relentless efforts to foster unity and understanding amongst designers from all over the world. He read messages from past Icograda board members and Icograda presidents while a video tribute to ‘Mr. Icograda’ played in the background.

Following a brief speech, Mr. Schockaert concluded, “If I had three words to summarise this quick address to you, dear friends and fellow designers, they should be about commitment, listening and respect. Commitment to a profession and the organisations that support it. Listening to the world outside. Respect for anyone who is in need for the better. My experience with Icograda has a lot to do with passion. And passion never gives up.”

The previous recipient of the award was Craig Halgreen in 2005, then Europe’s Corporate and Communications Manager of Sappi Fine Paper. Mr. Halgreen received the recognition for his role in Sappi’s ‘Ideas that Matter’ programme.

One of his many pictures based on The one Eye project that was created and still on track by Ahn Sangsoo: http://ssahn.com/


Read more: Guy Schockaert Honoured with 2007 Icograda’s President’s Award : Dexigner

 

Maria Papaefstathiou

VISUAL DESIGNER since 1996 and blogger since 2010. Living in Athens, Greece. She has been focusing her research on poster design and particularly on social poster design and portrait design. Her main poster project is a series of posters celebrating great personalities of traditional and popular culture in Greece and Jamaica. These include actors, singers, musicians, poets etc. This is an ongoing project. “I believe that design is a powerful tool that we designers can use to spark enthusiasm, change mindsets and bring positive actions to our world and our culture”. FOUNDER AND EDITOR OF GRAPHICART-NEWS.COM BLOG. She carefully curates high-quality designs, illustrations, and art, from all over the world that will teach and provoke other designers. Many consider her blog to be an exceptional educational tool. CO-FOUNDER OF THE INTERNATIONAL REGGAE POSTER CONTEST which was launched on December 2011, partnering, the creative activist Michael Thompson aka Freestylee. (www.reggaepostercontest.com)

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