Ruth
Gill, the daughter of a clergyman, produced 'elegant'
advertising (particularly for packaging). She trained
in advertising as well as design, and became art director
at Colman, Prentice & Varley, Ltd. in 1954. She
studied sculpture and design at the Chelsea School of
Art, at a period when Graham Sutherland, Henry Moore
and Milner Gray were teaching there. She joined a small
agency, John Tait and Partners in 1940, to work with
Hans Schleger, and Mary Gowing,
who were handling the ATS recruiting campaigns. Gill
became involved in the recruiting-advertising for the
ATS in 1940 and 1941, persuading women to take part
in a 'life and death affair', involving night-time visits
to compositors and foundaries, 'all-night briefings
at the Ministry of Information', and altering advertising
according to response. She became art director once
the ATS advertising was complete.
Information collated from: Gowing, M., 'The
Creative Mind in Advertising: Ruth Gill', Art and
Industry, Vol. 63, No. 375, September 1957, pp.84-89.
|