Stanley Donwood: The Will Be No Quiet

The talent behind Radiohead’s iconic artwork reveals in his own words and for the first time the creative process that has earned him a cult reputation

A restless and prolific figure, Stanley Donwood is widely regarded as one of the most important visual artists of his generation. His influential work for Radiohead spans many practices and ever-evolving aesthetics over a 23-year period, from music packaging to installations to print-making.

Here, for the very first time, he reveals his personal notebooks, photographs, sketches and abandoned routes to iconic Radiohead artworks. Arranged chronologically, chapters are each dedicated to a major work – be it an album cover, promotional piece or a personal project – presented as a step-by-step working case study, from speculative ideas and sketches right through to Photoshop experiments and the finished piece. Accompanying narratives by Donwood explain the inspirations and stories behind his creative process and what it is like to work with the band, told with his typical razor-sharp humour and generosity of spirit. Featuring a treasury of archive material, this is the first deep dive into Donwood’s creative practice and the artistic freedom afforded to him by working for a major music act.

There Will Be No Quiet is essential reading, and viewing, for fans of the band and anyone interested in the explosive mix of artistic accident, musical ingenuity and creative originality.

About the Authors:

Stanley Donwood is an artist and writer who has collaborated with Radiohead since the release of their single ‘My Iron Lung’ in 1994. Having met frontman Thom Yorke at the University of Exeter, he has gone on to create all the band’s artwork to date. In addition to his work for Radiohead, Donwood maintains a website, ‘Slowly Downward’, of his stories and other writings, and has exhibited in London, Sydney, Los Angeles and elsewhere.
Thom Yorke is an English musician and the singer and main songwriter of the band Radiohead.