Having a long association with Brighton, distinguished artist and illustrator John Vernon Lord was appointed Professor of Illustration in 1986, then Professor Emeritus. His picture book "The Giant Jam Sandwich" (1972) has become a classic while his illustrated edition of The Nonsense Verse of Edward Lear (1984) won two national awards.
John Lord studied at Salford and the Central School of Arts and Crafts in London. He taught at Brighton from 1961 to 1999 and continues to lecture occasionally after an association of 47 years. He was a head of department at various times at Brighton as well as Head of the School of Design. He was appointed Professor of Illustration in 1986, now Professor Emeritus. An Hon DLitt was conferred upon him in 2000. During the 1980s he was Chair of the Graphic Design Board of the Council for National Academic Awards (CNAA). He began his career as a freelance illustrator. His picture book The Giant Jam Sandwich has become a classic having been in print worldwide since it was first published in 1972. His illustrated edition of The Nonsense Verse of Edward Lear (1984) won two national awards. His Aesop’s Fables (1989) won the W.H. Smith/Victoria and Albert Illustration Award in 1990.
"I had no teaching qualifications when I was given the job of teaching drawing and illustration. My experience at Brighton was one of great change: from art college and polytechnic to university; different validating institutions and financial governing bodies; a succession of new buildings. The old turpentine-smelling Victorian art college building is now a sleek 21st century institution.
"I always enjoyed teaching, mostly drawing and illustration, but I also took on a number of heads’ posts at various times (ten years all told). This plunged me into the world of administering departments, schools and developing courses. Trying to manage what seemed to be ever-decreasing budgets was something of a continual tussle.
The politicians used the terms ‘strategic downsizing’ and ‘efficiency gains’ as euphemisms for ‘cuts’. Once when estates were informed that the Grand Parade windows hadn’t been cleaned for ten years someone called it ‘deferred maintenance’.
"I spent nine years scrutinising and validating courses throughout the UK on behalf of the CNAA and it was this experience that made me appreciate what good academic fettle our courses were in at Brighton, and what good facilities we had. I was also fortunate to be teaching among a conscientious group of high-profile practising illustrators. I bless the day when my tutor at the Central School suggested going to Brighton with my folio of work, with the view to obtaining a possible teaching job there. It was essentially the students who taught me how to teach."
John Vernon Lord, 2009
