Who is Rupert Ray?

New consultancy Rupert Ray is launching with a distinguished heritage (founders Alex Maclean and Caroline Matthews were both in Airside) and an enigmatic name…

Adrian Johnson
Adrian Johnson

Rupert Ray, apparently, is the name of a ‘semi-mythological character’ whom both Maclean and Matthews are distantly related to.

Alex Maclean
Alex Maclean

According to the ‘biography’ submitted by the consultancy, Rupert Ray was born in the late 19th-century and served in the Air Corps before becoming an accomplished artist and a patron of the arts.

Alison Carmichael
Alison Carmichael

The founders of Rupert Ray (the consultancy) has tasked a host of designers, artists and illustrators to answer the question ‘Who is Rupert Ray?’ with a portrait of what they think the person behind the name looks like.

James Joyce
James Joyce

Noma Bar, Pete Fowler, James Joyce and Si Scott are among those who have contributed. You can see some sneaky peeks of the work here, but the full portraits won’t be unveiled until the exhibition, at Mother London’s offices on 10 May.

Luke Pearson
Luke Pearson

Maclean and Matthews also commissioned Chermayeff & Geismar co-founder Ivan Chermayeff to create the new Rupert Ray identity – you can read more about this over at Creative Review here.

Rupert Ray identity, by Ivan Chermayeff
Rupert Ray identity, by Ivan Chermayeff

Maclean says, ‘As designers we tend to take so much for granted when presenting to clients. I realised by being the client, how important it is to be guided through the process by someone with experience, insight and intellect.’

Si Scott
Si Scott

The Who Is Rupert Ray? exhibition is at Mother London on 10 May. Attendance is RSVP only. For more information visit www.whoisrupertray.com

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