
Mancunian design trio Central Station were responsible for creating some of the boldest and most memorable record sleeves of the 80s and 90s. Just as The Happy Mondays’ attitude and stage presence (not to mention the opening of The Haçienda, and the arrival of acid house and Ecstacy) heralded the arrival of a new chapter in Britain’s musical history, so Central Station’s legacy of colourful and energetic record sleeve designs for various Factory Records acts documents a simultaneous shift in graphic approach to music packaging. After studying design, the studio basically stuck two fingers up at Swiss minimalism and formal typography in favour of finding their own unique voice – one that was relevant to – and inspired by – the music…
A new exhibition of their work, entitled Faç Off, opens this Friday at Richard Goodall Gallery in Manchester’s Northern Quarter. It will showcase much of the trio’s now iconic work for the likes of Happy Mondays, James and Black Grape – as well as a selection of non-commercially produced paintings and prints.

Faç Off is not only the title of Central Station’s forthcoming exhibition – it is a graphic they conjured up for a promotional T-shirt for Factory back in 1990. “I remember Tony[Wilson]’s reaction when he asked what we’d come up with,” says Central Station’s Karen Jackson. “We showed him, he looked at it and said, ‘Fac off. Brilliant!’”
To see more images and read a full profile on the studio, check out the piece in the May issue of Creative Review magazine or read it online on the Creative Review blog.
Faç Off runs from 16 May to 21 June at Richard Goodall Gallery, Manchester. Limited edition screenprints will be available from richardgoodallgallery.com