FAC175

Hearing about Dave Haslam's lecture this week (gutted I wasn't able to make it!!!) got me thinking about the Manchester music scene and Factory Records. Everything Factory ever produced is catalogued 'FAC' followed by a number, so I decided to find out what FAC175 would bring me. To my surprise, it was an Origami Christmas Greetings sent out by the record label in 1986, designed by Paper artist Paul Jackson. The gift also included a cassette with 'Thick Pigeons Blue Christmas'. I contacted Paul and it turns out he was a tutor at MMU in the late 80s/early 90s (then referred to as Manchester Polytechnic) of Embroidery and Textiles!!! Peter Saville designed the Factory Records logo, and most of the album sleeves for the label, including Joy Divisions 'Unknown Pleasures' 1979. I also searched for FAC13 (1+7+5) which is the Joy Division single 'Transmission', artwork also designed by Saville in 1979. Turns out Saville studied Graphic Design at Manchester Polytechnic 75-78. The Factory logo depicts the silhouette a factory/mill. I plan to go out and photograph the empty and restored factories and mills around Manchester. I think they are a really important part of Manchester heritage as the city was built on industry, textiles in particular, and I want to explore that.

Factory Records logo designed by Peter Saville

Diagram from 'Folding Techniques from Designers; From Sheet to Sheet' by Paul Jackson

FAC175 Christmas Card 1986

 FAC13 Joy Division 'Transmission' 1979, sleeve desidned by Pater Saville