Owning up to having a bit of a history. The 70s revisited in the early Twenty-First Century.

2007

• Invited to participate in National Life Stories. The British Library Sound Archive
• Typical of many such publications, large and small, over the years is The Observer Book of Rock and Pop (October) which places Dark Side of the Moon sixth in Ten of the Best Album Covers (credited Hipgnosis and Hardie)

2006

• I started enjoying making the point that the first Led Zeppelin cover (1969), the image was famous not for my creativity but because I dot-stippled an iconic photograph to avoid copyright and because my client later became world famous. It was not even the best phallic image I made in my second year at the RCA
• Once admitted I passed this truth on to professional audiences in six Australian cities and an audience of over two thousand students and practitioners at AGIdeas in Melbourne. As the Australian Graphic Design Association 2006 International speaker I was described as an acclaimed illustrator, designer and teacher.
• Only a few months later Parsons the New School of Design, New York suggested promoting me as a 'Veteran British Illustrator'. We settled for 'Legendary British Conceptual Illustrator'. At the Parsons symposium I spoke shortly after a keynote speech, Sarah Boxer on George Herriman, and decided to admit for the first time that my Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moon stickers owed a huge debt to Krazy Kat

2005

• Ganzfeld 4 includes an article about designing the cover for Led Zeppelin, Presence. I was interviewed and the piece is larded with my comments and recollections. Ganzfeld 4. 'Art History. Under Hipgnosis', Oliver Broudy. 14 pages illustrated
• Finn Nygaard exhibited my 'Pink Floyd at Knebworth' poster in Fynn Nygaard and Friends. Danske Kunstindustrimuseum, Copehagen. (Catalogue)

2004

• At 60 I realised I could no longer ignore the part of my youth wasted designing record sleeves
• I included my sticker for Pink Floyd, Wish You Were Here (hand related) in press releases for the exhibitions of Manual, and my stay as a visiting professor at Nagoya University of Arts. They politely said this image might remind people who I was
• I used it thereafter as an example of my ‘going amateur’ projects; comparing the audience of some fifteen million (sticker) with the ninety nine possible Manual owners

2003

• In Designed by Peter Saville (2003) Saville included Bush Hollyhead and George Hardie amongst his graphic heroes in 1975
• I was invited to represent the 70s on a panel for D&AD. ‘Sex, Drugs and Rock’n’Roll’ to an audience of eight hundred professionals at the Logan Hall, London. This light hearted anecdotal event made me realise that I ‘had a bit of a history’ and that I had perhaps underestimated its importance. (In spite of four 70s D&AD silver awards shared with Hipgnosis).
• Instituto Universitario de Architettura, Venice insisted that I include music graphics in my lecture
• For another ‘bit of a history’ read about NTA Studios (our studio in the 70s and 80s) in Eye 58 (2005), Varoom 04 (2007) - Ian Wright interview. Article on AOI covers
• Open Manifesto 3 (2007) – George Hardie interview