Lionel Hatch, who has died aged 75, was one of the foremost figures in British graphic design and a champion of creativity outside the capital as co-founder of The Chase in Manchester.
Forging a career in the 1970s, Hatch worked in and around ad agencies building a reputation for creativity and craft. His work often centred on ideas that engaged, informed, entertained or delighted an audience and they were always delivered in the vanguard of the craft, which, in Hatch’s case, was typography.
From an early age Hatch was a gifted typographer. Along with lettering artists such as Tony Forster and Phill Grimshaw, Hatch was part of a talented cluster who came from the North West, and garnered international recognition.
Designers who learned under him often tell stories of how, in the days of hand-assembled board artwork, Hatch, unhappy with the typography, would quickly sketch out his desired changes on lay-out paper. When it was overlaid, it would be millimetre perfect.
He was often seen in the studio, hanging lay-outs upside down to better judge the spacing. And even in the digital age, he would make sure all line breaks were perfect – be that a presentation, an email, or even a text message.
He went through various incarnations of his business, Typographics, and later operated as a freelancer. But in 1986, Hatch teamed up with Ben Casey to co-found The Chase, one of the first independent agencies outside London dedicated solely to graphic design.
At a time of deep recession, Hatch and Casey each put their houses on the line to secure the finance for the agency. Coming through this financial hardship encouraged a certain economy in their work and culture, where virtues were often found in necessity and originality was revealed in the obvious.
As is now well-known, The Chase became one of the most awarded and enduring creative businesses and showed the way for countless others to set up in Manchester and beyond. It was truly instrumental in encouraging the breadth and diversity of creative practices all around the UK which we see today.
Those that knew and worked with Lionel affectionately called him Line, and knew him to be an enthusiastic writer and painter, who loved jazz and Japanese design.
He retired in 2017. His career accolades speak for themselves, but it’s perhaps his other qualities which are his greatest and most lasting legacy.
“He showed us that success is something you define on your own terms.”
Though he had a formidable attention-to-detail and treated typography with creative discipline, Lionel was laid-back and worked without ego.
He enjoyed the abilities and potential of others, developing talent and supporting the careers of countless generations of creative people, many of whom have gone on to do great things themselves.
Mark Ross, co-founder of Manchester-based design agency, Glorious, was one such person.
“In 1986, on graduating, Lionel offered me my first job as a junior designer,” Ross remembers. “He was one of, if not, the best designer to grace the Manchester scene and beyond.
“His most endearing quality was his humility. Despite all the deserved success, and accolades bestowed upon him, Lionel remained modest and unpretentious with a calm personality, sharp sense of humour, and desire to help and support others.”
Ren Rigby, founder and chief design officer of Proto, is another whose career was shaped by Hatch.
“Lionel didn’t just design: he gave meaning to everything he created, from the smallest design detail to the deepest friendship,” Rigby says.
Lise Brian, who worked with Lionel at The Chase from her very first days after graduating to becoming an associate creative director, echoes these sentiments. “Although days could be long and deadlines short, Lionel always took the time to share his knowledge generously and kindly, wearing his many skills lightly, making us feel so fortunate to be part of it all.”
Encouraging and inspirational, Lionel was always there for those in the studio that needed him.
His quiet demeanour and soft voice resonate loud and deep through countless generations of people still.
Lionel Hatch may not be the name most people associate with The Chase, but that isn’t to understate his importance to that agency.
It is, however, perhaps the greatest example he has set for us all.
In an industry where it feels that those who shout loudest get heard, where the brazen often bulldozes the discerning, and where design is often viewed only as delivery, Lionel showed us all you don’t have to live in the limelight, that you can live by your own identity, intellect, and ideas.
He showed us that success is something you define on your own terms.
This will almost certainly stand, alongside the work, and his impact on so many people, as his greatest legacy.