Rufus Segar
Rufus Segar (28 August 1932 – 7 May 2015) was a British anarchist, illustrator and graphic designer who was best known for his designs of the monthly Anarchy magazine throughout the 1960s. He and his wife, Sheila Bullard, were life-long anarchists.[1] Early lifeSegar was born in Ipswich, Suffolk, the second son of Eric and Ethel (née Bomber). His father was a member of the The Magic Circle. Segar's son, Rupert, described his grandfather as a pharmacist.[2] Segar described him as an "an itinerant pharmacist".[3][4] Segar's family moved a lot during his childhood, "setting up various ill-starred business ventures".[2] Initially they moved to Walsall in 1936, to Bilston in 1938 and to Bristol in 1939. Then, in 1946 they moved to Colwyn Bay in North Wales, and two years later they moved fourteen miles along the coast to Prestatyn. Segar recalled that, at least the age of ten or twelve years old, he was convinced that he wanted to become a cartoonist.[4] He initially attended Rhyl Grammar School, where he took an A-level in mathematics and then attended St Asaph Grammar School (which later became Ysgol Glan Clwyd), where he took an A-level in art. While he was taking his A-level in art, his teacher led him to enrol on a four-year course in the Liverpool College of Art[4], which he did in 1949.[3] The course was split into halves. For the second half, students were asked to choose a discipline of applied art from about eight options. The tutors told him to elect for illustration, which he did. While Segar was a student, he moved into an anarchist collective in Upper Parliament Street, where he met Sheila Bullard, who he later married. One of the residents was Harold Sculthorpe, who was employed as the clinical analysis laboratory of a hospital in Liverpool[5] and who started the Liverpool Anarchist Group.[6] Sculthorpe subsequently wrote the 1993 book Freedom to Roam, which was published by Freedom Press.[7] Work in the private sectorSegar graduated in 1953, after which the members of the collective moved to London.[5] He initially got a job in a cardboard box factory, Hunt Partners in Clapton. Then he began working as an assistant designer in advertising for Horatio Myer & Co Ltd in Vauxhall. Three years later he got a job in SH Benson in Kingsway, which he described as "a top rank advertising agency".[8] However, he recalled: "You're nowhere, just an assistant in the system. I watched that for three years, just seeing how it worked, then I said, 'It's not for me.'"[8] In 1955 Segar was imprisoned for three months for refusing to perform National Service.[2] In 1961, he was still working for SH Benson. And he also worked freelance, illustrating books. However, from 1964 to 1982, he worked freelance for the Economist Intelligence Unit, as a designer[9] or an illustrator and graphic designer[2]. Designing the covers for Anarchy magazineIn May 1961, Segar began to design the covers for Anarchy,[10] which Colin Ward had started, in Segar's words, "as a foil to Freedom".[6][11] From Issue Six onwards, Segar became the magazine's resident art director.[6] Ward gave him significant freedom in his design of each issue, albeit while working to a tight deadline. Anarchist author David Goodway described Segar's series of covers for Anarchy as 'superb'.[12] However, in Issue 107 (January 1970) of the magazine, Segar described its production process in less flattering terms:
Colin Ward relayed this description of the production process of Anarchy to British historian David Goodway as "a tour of inner London and its suburbs".[14] Segar recalled that Colin Ward lost interest in the magazine when he got to Volume Ten.[15] In Segar's words, "a new lot' took over, after which he 'lost patience with it".[15] Moreover he told them "Well, obviously you can do what you like inside, and now you can do what you want on the cover", with which he dropped it because he "just wasn't interested anymore".[16] In 2012, independent graphic designer Daniel Poyner edited the art book Autonomy the cover designs of Anarchy 1961-1970 which reproduces all of the cover designs of Anarchy. In his contribution to the book, graphic designer Richard Hollis observed:
In January 2013, design critic Rick Poynor, reviewed the book in the magazine Creative Review. He observed:
Also in 2013, the book was shortlisted for the Bread and Roses Award. RetirementSegar initially retired with his wife to Saltwood in Kent, where they lived in the 1990s. While they were living there, they became friends with Mike Umbers, the editor of the newsletter of the nearby Hythe Civic Society, and his wife. Seger worked voluntarily as an illustrator for the Society. Umbers (2023) submitted his article Memories of my time as newsletter editor to the Society's newsletter. He recalled in his article: "Working with [Segar] over the years we and our families became friends; he was an entertaining conversationalist and we enjoyed supper and garden parties, setting the world to rights together."[19] Also in his article, he cited Segar's production of a (39-page card book) Remember Hythe The High Street 1902-1992 for the Society and he described his contributions of the extremely detailed designs of the covers for its newsletter, several of which are illustrated.[20] Around 1999,[21] Segar later moved to Pershore in Worcestershire to be near his children and grandchildren.[19] In 2001 he collaborated with anarchist Donald Rooum on an orbituary of anarchist psychologist Tony Gibson.[22] In 2012 author David Goodway acknowledged Segar's help in producing the new edition of his book Anarchist Seeds Beneath the Snow.[23] Segar died on 7 May 2015 at the age of 82, after a fall at home.[21] Notes
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