Mark Holt and Simon Johnston began working on freelance commissions for Factory Records as ‘8vo’ in 1984. The studio was formally co-founded as a partnership in 1985 by Mark Holt, Simon Johnston and Hamish Muir. 8vo’s shared objective was to use type as the core component in the studio’s work; eschewing big ideas, illustration, and English attitudes to typography. Johnston left 8vo at the end of 1988 for the United States. Holt and Muir continued with the partnership until 1996 when the studio was restructured as a Limited Company, with Malcolm Southward joining as Managing Director. 8vo continued operating until 2001.
Photos:
8vo’s studio, Endell Street, London WC2, c.1989.