While it's not unknown for practitioners of the fine arts to gain fame and fortune almost overnight these days, (even through notoriety rather than talent), only a handful of artists in the graphic design field have gained worldwide recognition. Britain's Neville Brody is one.

Long considered a design guru, Brody'swork for The Face magazine in the 1980s, through to his art direction and typography for The Guardian and Times newspapers in more recent years, has revolutionized the practice of layout, graphics and art direction.

Brody was in Tokyo recently for an exhibition of his works; to give some talks, including one at the British Council together with Japanese designer Kashiwa Sato; and to promote his new book, "Neville Brody" (part of the World Graphic Design 88 series published by the Ginza Graphic Gallery). Such is Brody's stature and range of works that when renowned art publishers Thames & Hudson put out the "Graphic Language of Neville Brody" book a few years back, it ran to two volumes.