OLIVER JOHNSTON (1952-1990)
Original colored sketches for Silence=Death Color crayon on vellum. 349x280 mm; 13x11 inches. Circa 1986.The sketches, four on a single sheet, include pink triangles on light blue, light green and black backgrounds along with two proposed text placements. "Silence is Death" was Johnston's original contribution to the Collective's search for an effective tagline for the poster (After Silence, p. 45), and during the design process "Oliver kept pushing for versions with brightly colored backgrounds" (ibid p. 47). These recently re-discovered sketches were left in the home of Silence=Death collective member, Jorge Socarras, after the final 1986 Silence=Death collective meeting at which Johnston drew them. They shed light on a pivotal moment of the visionary design process involved in originating the Silence=Death logo.Oliver Johnston was one of the original 6 members of the Silence=Death Collective. He was a graduate of Parsons and a graphic designer in his own right. He was the only member of the collective not to survive the AIDS era, he passed away from AIDS complications in 1990.with- Adhesive Silence=Death sticker in yellow and pink, issued in memoriam for Oliver Johnston. Provenance: consigned by the Silence=Death Collective.