Mr Phil Cleaver

Biography

Phil Cleaver is an established and multi award-winning heavyweight in the graphic design world. Protégé of Anthony Froshaug, Phil honed his design and typographic skills under Alan Fletcher at Pentagram, Wim Crouwel at TD in Holland, and Michael Wolff at Wolff Olins. 

In 1984 Allied International Designers recruited Phil as creative director of branding. In 1987 he established CleaverLandor, a specialist design consultancy, whose success led to such rapid growth that Phil found himself increasingly paper-pushing and decreasingly pencil-pushing, so he set up design consultancy et al, in 1992; a tight-knit consortium of like-minded design professionals. 

He lectures worldwide on design, and his early typographical work is archived in St Bride’s Printing Library. His book design is in the permanent collection of the V&A Museum’s National Art Library. 

Phil also wrote and designed, What They Didn’t Teach You In Design School, This book helps new designers make the transition from design school to work, giving them the ammunition they need for a successful start. Published in the USA and UK. Sold out within three months in the UK/USA, now in 6th reprint with translations in Chinese, Russian, Korean and Spanish.

Teaching

Professor in the Creative Industries at Middlesex University 

Visiting Professor of Typography Birmingham City University

Fellow of Hereford College of Arts

Adjunct Professor of University Sains, Malaysia

Adjunct Professor at Taylor’s Design School, Malaysia

Visiting Professor Huanggang Normal University, China

Visiting Professor Sias University, Xinzheng, Henan, China

Visiting Professor, Xuhai College of China University of Mining and Technology, China

Executive Director of China Europe International Design Culture Association (CEIDA)