Vaughan Oliver, graphic designer for Pixies and 4AD, dies at 62

Vaughan Oliver, the influential graphic designer known for his work with the British record label 4AD and bands like Pixies, Cocteau Twins, and Dead Can Dance, died on December 29, 2019, at age 62. Born in Epsom, Surrey, in 1957, Oliver began his career in 1982 under the monikers 23 Envelope and v23. His melancholic, dreamy, and dark style, often using sepia tones, defined 4AD's aesthetic. He created iconic album covers, including Pixies' 'Doolittle' (featuring the famous monkey in paradise) and David Lynch's 2011 debut 'Crazy Clown Time'. In February 1990, the Espace Graslin gallery in Nantes held a solo exhibition of his 4AD works, which later traveled to Parc de la Villette in Paris, accompanied by the catalog 'Exhibition/Exposition'. In 1994, the Pacific Design Center in Los Angeles mounted a major retrospective. In 2011, the University for the Creative Arts awarded him an honorary Master of Arts. 4AD paid tribute, stating, 'Without Vaughan, 4AD would not be 4AD.'