GDC/BC and Hemlock Printers Ltd. are proud to announce the Jim Rimmer Community Scholarship for Design. With more than 50 years of expertise in design, book design and typography, Jim Rimmer is revered locally and internationally.

Sadly, Jim Rimmer passed away on Saturday, January 9th after a battle with cancer. The scholarship was initially announced in November 2009 at Practivism, an annual GDC/BC event. Though he knew of the scholarship in his name, Jim Rimmer was too ill to attend Practivism.

Dick Kouwenhoven, president and CEO of Hemlock Printers, says, “We are very proud to support the next generation of designers in our community, and feel it’s fitting to honour Jim Rimmer’s contributions to the field with this scholarship.”

The Jim Rimmer Community Scholarship for Design will be awarded annually to two students who demonstrate the use of design thinking to benefit their community, and have used print to effectively communicate a message, effect action, or promote change.

Applications for the two $1,000 scholarships are due at the end of September and will be judged by representatives of Hemlock Printers and GDC/BC. The recipients will be announced each November at Practivism, of which Hemlock Printers are the presenting sponsors.

“Jim Rimmer is an icon of Canadian design, craftsmanship and ingenuity. This scholarship is a reminder to the new generation of design thinkers that we need to retain the principles of our craft,” says Marga Lopez, MGDC, president of GDC/BC. “Jim led by example. His work and passion will always be remembered by our members and everyone in the design industry.”

A celebration of Jim Rimmer's life and work will be held on April 25, 2010 between 2 and 4pm at the Segal Centre, 500 Granville Street (at West Pender), Vancouver, BC.

You can read Jim's bio and comments from his GDC Fellowship nomination here.

A Facebook page has been set up by his countless admirers.

Typophile has some beautiful tributes as well.

One of the more touching tributes the GDC has received is from Nancy Wu, MGDC.

My first memory of Jim Rimmer was at Capilano College where I was studying Design & Illustration almost 20 years ago. As a guest illustrator, he proceeded to pull out an old portfolio full of loose prints, cards, roughs...with no care about presentation. He was all about the craft. I remember how remarkably unintimidating he was, full of warmth, humour and passion. (I was also amused to see that he designed the original logotype for the once Vancouver-based Seattle band Heart, who have since resurrected it for their recent CDs.) Jim took out a heavy 12" x 12" x 2" block of wood; a loose pencil illustration drawn on a piece of brown linoleum was mounted onto it. He then proceeded to take out some old filthy wooden tools from an equally dirty little wooden box and began to carve. Magic.

Like a master ramen chef, his movements were deliberate and methodical; no wasted energy or self-centred flourish. He spoke the whole time about what he was doing and why, always ready to share his love for his craft, and reminding us to think about process, but, more important, to focus on what we wanted to achieve. We were all silent, entertained by his every word. And I was hooked. He finished his simple print (very similar to the plane he created for the then newly-formed Art Rep, which he was once represented by) and began to pack up after a fruitful Q&A period.

I asked if I could visit him at his studio some days later. In an unassuming rickety building on Hastings Street, I nervously knocked on the old windowless door. His kind face popped out and I stepped into one of the most incredible museums I've ever seen. It wasn't tidy by any means as there was a buzz of creative activity evident throughout--pieces of metal type, process prints, unfinished carvings and beautiful pencil illustrations of birds and serif letterforms. He was in the middle of printing but kindly took the time to explain how the letterpress worked, what movable type was and so forth. I was there for perhaps an hour or two but felt like I had been there the whole day; there was so much in my head I could hardly contain myself. I left that day with some letterpressed tearsheets, an old plastic bag full of almost empty tins of ink, linoleum scraps to practice with, some old carving tools that needed a good rub with sandpaper and the name of the store in Chinatown where I could buy my carving tools. I still have those tools, well-worn from doing my own linocut illustrations. The box still carries stray curled bits from that highly creative period.

The last time I saw Jim again was many years later at the Vancouver Public Library in 2006 for the promotion of his Pie Tree Press book. I didn't think he would remember me at all, having met so many students and fans alike in his long career, and yet he said he did. Once again, he extended the invitation to his studio (now at his home in New Westminster) to see what he was up to. I was so excited but suddenly felt too shy, thinking there would be plenty of opportunities to go. Of course, I now regret not visiting and yet I will never forget that beautiful kind man who carried the creative passion of many men. There will only ever be one Jim Rimmer.