Reid Miles
Encyclopedia
and Reid Miles was an American graphic designer
and photographer.
Reid Miles was born in Chicago on 4 July 1927 but, following the Stock Market Crash
and the separation of his parents, moved with his mother to Long Beach, California
in 1929.
After high school Miles joined the Navy and, following his discharge, moved to Los Angeles
to enrol at Chouinard Art Institute
.
After working in New York
in the early 1950s for John Hermansader and Esquire
magazine, Miles was hired in his own right by Francis Wolff
of the jazz record label Blue Note
to design album covers from about 1955, when the label began releasing their recordings on 12" LPs. Miles designed several hundred covers, frequently incorporating the session photographs of Francis Wolff and, later, his own photographs, although many of his later designs dispensed entirely with photographs.
Miles wasn't particularly interested in jazz, professing to have much more of an interest in classical music, but used the descriptions of the sessions relayed to him by producer Alfred Lion
to create the artwork.
Lion's retirement as a record producer in 1967 coincided with the end of Miles' connection with Blue Note. "Fifty Bucks an album...they loved it, thought it was modern, they thought it went with the music...one or two colors to work with at that time and some outrageous graphics!".
As a photographer, operated a studio in Los Angeles, California. Many of his most famous shots were elaborate montages of people and group photographs. Reminiscent of Norman Rockwell
,
Graphic designer
A graphic designer is a professional within the graphic design and graphic arts industry who assembles together images, typography or motion graphics to create a piece of design. A graphic designer creates the graphics primarily for published, printed or electronic media, such as brochures and...
and photographer.
Reid Miles was born in Chicago on 4 July 1927 but, following the Stock Market Crash
Stock market crash
A stock market crash is a sudden dramatic decline of stock prices across a significant cross-section of a stock market, resulting in a significant loss of paper wealth. Crashes are driven by panic as much as by underlying economic factors...
and the separation of his parents, moved with his mother to Long Beach, California
Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
in 1929.
After high school Miles joined the Navy and, following his discharge, moved to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
to enrol at Chouinard Art Institute
Chouinard Art Institute
The Chouinard Art Institute was a professional art school founded in 1921 in Los Angeles, California, by Nelbert Murphy Chouinard .-Founder:...
.
After working in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
in the early 1950s for John Hermansader and Esquire
Esquire (magazine)
Esquire is a men's magazine, published in the U.S. by the Hearst Corporation. Founded in 1932, it flourished during the Great Depression under the guidance of founder and editor Arnold Gingrich.-History:...
magazine, Miles was hired in his own right by Francis Wolff
Francis Wolff
Francis Wolff was a record company executive, photographer and record producer....
of the jazz record label Blue Note
Blue Note Records
Blue Note Records is a jazz record label, established in 1939 by Alfred Lion and Max Margulis. Francis Wolff became involved shortly afterwards. It derives its name from the characteristic "blue notes" of jazz and the blues. At the end of the 1950s, and in the early 1960s, Blue Note headquarters...
to design album covers from about 1955, when the label began releasing their recordings on 12" LPs. Miles designed several hundred covers, frequently incorporating the session photographs of Francis Wolff and, later, his own photographs, although many of his later designs dispensed entirely with photographs.
Miles wasn't particularly interested in jazz, professing to have much more of an interest in classical music, but used the descriptions of the sessions relayed to him by producer Alfred Lion
Alfred Lion
Alfred Lion was a Jewish German-born American record executive who co-founded Blue Note Records in 1939 Blue Note recorded many of the biggest names in jazz throughout the 1940s, 50s, and 60s.-Biography:...
to create the artwork.
Lion's retirement as a record producer in 1967 coincided with the end of Miles' connection with Blue Note. "Fifty Bucks an album...they loved it, thought it was modern, they thought it went with the music...one or two colors to work with at that time and some outrageous graphics!".
As a photographer, operated a studio in Los Angeles, California. Many of his most famous shots were elaborate montages of people and group photographs. Reminiscent of Norman Rockwell
Norman Rockwell
Norman Percevel Rockwell was a 20th-century American painter and illustrator. His works enjoy a broad popular appeal in the United States for their reflection of American culture. Rockwell is most famous for the cover illustrations of everyday life scenarios he created for The Saturday Evening...
,