Allan Fleming - Fleming's Influence

Fleming's Influence

This outlined trajectory of Allan Fleming’s career gives a sense of his personality and energy if only by demonstrating the sheer quantity and variety of his undertakings, but a simple chronology can’t adequately suggest what Brian Donnelly in issue 63 of The Devil’s Artisan calls “his persuasive presentation style and genuine brilliance with words.” Nor can it convey the attentive and inclusive style that made Fleming such an inspiring colleague and friend: one from whom all who were interested could learn. He was an indefatigable mentor, teacher and public champion of design in all aspects of Canadian cultural life. He revolutionized more than the design department at UTP; he also revolutionized the relationship between editors, designers, and production and marketing employees, inspiring all with his camaraderie and brilliant innovation. This ability to inspire and galvanise disparate professionals was also a hallmark of his work in advertising and in typographic design, when those professions were not the flat hierarchies they have since become. His early death was a great loss to family and friends, but his work as a designer, collaborator and teacher continues to reverberate through the Canadian design world and beyond.