Arrest All Mimics Podcast: When Saturday Comes

Written by Ben Tallon

During that gut-wrenching time of anxiety, when you’re gearing up for your graduation art show, the real world looming in the all too near future, I sat hidden between two of the floor-to-ceiling shelves in the journals section of the university library. In truth, I was sat there to escape spending more time writing the dissertation I’d lost interest in weeks earlier. Fortunately, where I sat on the heavy footstool that is more often used as a makeshift seat was perfect eye-level with an impressive chunk of the When Saturday Comes magazine archive. There I sat for the next two hours, thumbing through issue after issue of the fanzine turned magazine, reading past articles and reminiscing about bygone seasons in which my football team, Leeds United was not a circus of marvellous embarrassments. The biggest result here however, was the revelation that each edition of WSC contained 2-3, sometimes more illustrations. The publication was noted, contacts written down and immediately slotted alongside The Guardian, Leeds United and WWE in my dream client hit list. Of course, I had essays and exhibitions to worry about, but two-years later, this moment would prove pivotal. Then, in 2008, I landed my first client. I’d kept the email address for Doug Cheeseman, art-editor of WSC and after weeks of sending him sample illustrations of football’s current issues created especially for his attention, he called me up and commissioned me. My first professional freelance job triggered an ongoing relationship between art-editor and illustrator, which has taught me a lot and helped me to craft my distinct style. In this two-part special, Doug takes us on his personal journey, growing up with 1970’s and 1980’s football and his transition from lazy student to graphic designer and art-editor at WSC, one of the UK’s best loved football magazines, now in its 30th year. He also shares the story of the cult-magazine and its fascinating evolution through football’s darker days, to the filthy-rich modern day game. We discuss art-direction, graphic design and the art of pitching up – a crucial tool in the arsenal of any self-respecting creative. Football’s visual culture is covered in depth and we discuss the role of the printed magazine in the digital revolution.

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