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A MASTER OF BEAUTIFUL DESIGN
by De Brierley Newton
Sydney Morning Herald
June 3, 2008 Tuesday
Australia
HIS first overseas posting, to Milan as a young art director, Ron
Kambourian was blown away by the elegantly dressed local men who
every morning sipped coffee and grappa in the cafes as Ferraris
zoomed by. Kambourian not only joined this scene but sketched it,
for he was one of an unusual breed - an art director who could draw.
He also loved things that flew, predominantly those machines that
flew in the two world wars, and in particular Spitfires. He also
loved fast cars. He loved the way they were engineered and the way
they handled but, above all, he loved the way they were designed.
He leaves behind beautiful watercolours of planes, boats, cars, people,
landscapes, layouts, ads, caricatures and cartoons. He also had a deft
hand for oils, gouache, pencil, pastels, crayons and charcoal. In
fact, if it could be used to create an image, he would use it. In
later life he discovered and loved a new tool - the computer.
Ronald Haig Kambourian was born in 1940 in New York to Armenian
parents Haig and Lucy Kambourian. He went to Forest Hills High and
was in the same year as Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel, but was happy
to leave the music to them. He insisted only that the design of the
year book was his. This creative talent offered him an early entry
into university but in his first week he had a knife pulled on him
and retreated to what he believed to be the sanctuary of the creative
world - advertising.
He spent almost 50 years in the business and won more awards than most
people have wall space to hang. This was best demonstrated at DDB
Needham when a new business pitch found the then managing director
David Fernley in a twitch about showing off the agency as the most
creative in Sydney.
Kambourian's idea of being helpful was to come in at the weekend before
the pitch and hang his awards. These included gold Clios (for creative
advertising), gold Art Directors Club, gold International Print, FACTS
(Federation of Australian Commercial Television Stations) and AWARD
(Australian Writers and Art Directors Association) awards. They sat
frame-to-frame, like wallpaper, from the ceiling to the floor, covering
the main walls and even the hallway leading to his office. DDB Needham
won the pitch.
Kambourian's advertising career began in 1960 as an art director
with Ogilvy Benson Mather, New York. By 1968 he was group creative
director of Pritchard Wood & Partners, Wasey Quandrant, London and
by 1971 creative director of Smit's-Bates BV Holland.
In 1974 he married Karin Manders, a stewardess with KLM, the first
of his family to marry outside the Armenian community. In 1975 they
emigrated to Australia.
By 1976 he was the creative director of Monahan, Dayman, Adams, Sydney
and by the end of the 1980s had worked for international agencies such
as Clemenger BBDO and DDB Needham. By 1990 there was nowhere else to
conquer and so he began his own visual communications consultancy -
Wildblueyonder - that he continued until his death.
He was a master of type who would test unsuspecting copywriters
by creating a layout with type that was truly gruesome and if the
copywriter picked it up, a "just testing" email would follow with an
attachment containing a brilliant piece of advertising work.
For 11 years he taught graphic design and advertising, first at
Manly-Warringah College, then Sydney Graphics College and finally
for eight years at the Billy Blue School of Graphic Design as senior
advertising lecturer. His patience and perseverance always brought
out the best in his students.
For 15 years Kambourian was also a scout leader and trainer, and
served as the international liaison for the 16th World Scout Jamboree,
held in Australia in 1988.
Kambourian was a fellow of the Australian Institute of Advertising,
a member of the Art Directors Club, New York, the American Institute
of Graphic Arts, the Society of Typographic Arts, the Art Directors
Club Nederland and a foundation member and co-chairman of judges of
the inaugural AWARD show.
He loved Laphroaig single malt whisky, Armenian food and American
music. He was scathing of euphemisms, growling that he was not
departing, he was dying, and promised to take shots of where he was,
scan them in and email them back.
Ron Kambourain is survived by Karin and their children Joanna, James
and Gregory.
by De Brierley Newton
Sydney Morning Herald
June 3, 2008 Tuesday
Australia
HIS first overseas posting, to Milan as a young art director, Ron
Kambourian was blown away by the elegantly dressed local men who
every morning sipped coffee and grappa in the cafes as Ferraris
zoomed by. Kambourian not only joined this scene but sketched it,
for he was one of an unusual breed - an art director who could draw.
He also loved things that flew, predominantly those machines that
flew in the two world wars, and in particular Spitfires. He also
loved fast cars. He loved the way they were engineered and the way
they handled but, above all, he loved the way they were designed.
He leaves behind beautiful watercolours of planes, boats, cars, people,
landscapes, layouts, ads, caricatures and cartoons. He also had a deft
hand for oils, gouache, pencil, pastels, crayons and charcoal. In
fact, if it could be used to create an image, he would use it. In
later life he discovered and loved a new tool - the computer.
Ronald Haig Kambourian was born in 1940 in New York to Armenian
parents Haig and Lucy Kambourian. He went to Forest Hills High and
was in the same year as Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel, but was happy
to leave the music to them. He insisted only that the design of the
year book was his. This creative talent offered him an early entry
into university but in his first week he had a knife pulled on him
and retreated to what he believed to be the sanctuary of the creative
world - advertising.
He spent almost 50 years in the business and won more awards than most
people have wall space to hang. This was best demonstrated at DDB
Needham when a new business pitch found the then managing director
David Fernley in a twitch about showing off the agency as the most
creative in Sydney.
Kambourian's idea of being helpful was to come in at the weekend before
the pitch and hang his awards. These included gold Clios (for creative
advertising), gold Art Directors Club, gold International Print, FACTS
(Federation of Australian Commercial Television Stations) and AWARD
(Australian Writers and Art Directors Association) awards. They sat
frame-to-frame, like wallpaper, from the ceiling to the floor, covering
the main walls and even the hallway leading to his office. DDB Needham
won the pitch.
Kambourian's advertising career began in 1960 as an art director
with Ogilvy Benson Mather, New York. By 1968 he was group creative
director of Pritchard Wood & Partners, Wasey Quandrant, London and
by 1971 creative director of Smit's-Bates BV Holland.
In 1974 he married Karin Manders, a stewardess with KLM, the first
of his family to marry outside the Armenian community. In 1975 they
emigrated to Australia.
By 1976 he was the creative director of Monahan, Dayman, Adams, Sydney
and by the end of the 1980s had worked for international agencies such
as Clemenger BBDO and DDB Needham. By 1990 there was nowhere else to
conquer and so he began his own visual communications consultancy -
Wildblueyonder - that he continued until his death.
He was a master of type who would test unsuspecting copywriters
by creating a layout with type that was truly gruesome and if the
copywriter picked it up, a "just testing" email would follow with an
attachment containing a brilliant piece of advertising work.
For 11 years he taught graphic design and advertising, first at
Manly-Warringah College, then Sydney Graphics College and finally
for eight years at the Billy Blue School of Graphic Design as senior
advertising lecturer. His patience and perseverance always brought
out the best in his students.
For 15 years Kambourian was also a scout leader and trainer, and
served as the international liaison for the 16th World Scout Jamboree,
held in Australia in 1988.
Kambourian was a fellow of the Australian Institute of Advertising,
a member of the Art Directors Club, New York, the American Institute
of Graphic Arts, the Society of Typographic Arts, the Art Directors
Club Nederland and a foundation member and co-chairman of judges of
the inaugural AWARD show.
He loved Laphroaig single malt whisky, Armenian food and American
music. He was scathing of euphemisms, growling that he was not
departing, he was dying, and promised to take shots of where he was,
scan them in and email them back.
Ron Kambourain is survived by Karin and their children Joanna, James
and Gregory.