Designer and art director Brian Cannon has worked with the likes of Oasis, The Verve and Cast over the last 30 years
17:32, 24 Feb 2026
Brian Cannon has designed some of the most well-known album covers for bands including Oasis, The Verve and Cast(Image: Jack Oliver)
When Brian Cannon heard that Oasis were reuniting he couldn’t quite believe it. The Wigan-born designer and art director is the man behind some of the band’s most famous album covers and artwork, but insists he had no heads up about the tour.
“I had no idea it was going to happen, I wasn’t privy to it and people say ‘you must have known’ but I didn’t and we were flabbergasted,” he tells us from his new exhibition that’s popped up inside Manchester Piccadilly Station.
“It was completely out of the blue, but then I got the call from Noel Gallagher to tell me I was working on the tour programme which was a nice touch, he didn’t need to do that. It was just like it ever was, hanging out again, kicking ideas around.
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“When we finished it we flew to America and saw them play Chicago, it was a dream year – it was fantastic working with them again.
“We’re living through divided times at the moment and even if you think Oasis are rubbish it doesn’t matter, it brought so much happiness to so many people all around the world last year – so that’s got to be a good thing.
Brian’s pop-up exhibition at Manchester Piccadilly (Image: Jack Oliver )
“Long may it continue, I don’t think that’s the last of it. I don’t know anything for sure but it was a tremendous time and I think it even took them by surprise. No one could have predicted how successful it was.”
Brian created Microdot in 1990 and is responsible for the record sleeve artwork for everything released by Oasis and The Verve in the 1990s. The studio has also created artwork for Suede, Cast, Ash, Super Furry Animals and many more.
In fact, the accreditation ‘A Microdot Design’ adorns over 75 million units of product worldwide. They have a shop in Kendal in the Lake District and did for a while have a presence on King Street in Manchester selling a wide range of artwork, merchandise and memorabilia.
A Microdot Design by Brian Cannon, pop-up retrospective exhibition at Manchester Piccadilly Station (Image: Ellen Offredy)
Now, Brian’s back in Manchester to exhibit his work in partnership with The BRITs as it marks a bolder new chapter in its history. For the first time in five decades the prestigious awards ceremony will be held outside London and will, for two years, be at Manchester’s Co-op Live.
The awards take place this Saturday (28 February) with stars including Harry Styles, Olivia Dean, Wolf Alice and Mark Ronson all set to perform. In the run up The BRIT Awards announced a bold, city-wide cultural programme including an art trail curated by North West-artists, BRITs Fringe programme celebrating Greater Manchester’s music scene, and Brian’s bespoke exhibition showcasing iconic music artwork.
Named ‘A Microdot Design’, the bespoke gallery experience celebrating over three decades of iconic British music artwork and design, spanning 1990 to 2026 can be found at the concourse of Manchester Piccadilly until Sunday, March 1.
A Microdot Design by Brian Cannon, pop-up retrospective exhibition at Manchester Piccadilly Station (Image: Jack Oliver )
Designed and built by Manchester based design company M3 Industries, the exhibition showcases designer and art director Cannon’s unmistakable visual legacy through work created for some of the most influential artists of the era, including Oasis, The Verve, Cast, Ruthless Rap Assassins, New Fast Automatic Daffodils, Inspiral Carpets, The Lathums and Super Furry Animals.
Showing us around the exhibition, Brian says it’s been an honour to curate the collection and look back on over 30 years of work.
“I think the point was because this is the first time the BRITs has been outside of London and up to Manchester I had to curate an exhibition that wasn’t exclusively Manchester bands but the North West region generally. All the work you can see here is from bands I’ve worked with over the last 36 years. I’ve snuck the Super Fury Animals in because I just love it, but that is Wales.
“It’s the first time this body of work has ever been exhibited together. And believe it or not, the first time I’ve done an exhibition in Manchester.
A Microdot Design by Brian Cannon, pop-up retrospective exhibition at Manchester Piccadilly Station(Image: Ellen Offredy)
“I’ve also not done an exhibition for ten years so some stuff has never been exhibited before. This here is from the Oasis tour programme of last year, and these are the 30th anniversary editions of ‘(What’s The Story) Morning Glory?’, so that’s all brand new, and then going back to stuff I did for the Spirals in the early 1990s.
“I’m flattered to be asked to put this on because it’s the only exhibition and there’s plenty of other artists, designers and photographers from the Manchester area so it’s a super honour – I’m made up.
“I treat each of these clients with equal importance when I’m working with them, no one gets special treatment. I do the best I possibly can for them and that comes through when you read all the descriptions – it’s a passion project, it’s not a job.”
A Microdot Design by Brian Cannon, pop-up retrospective exhibition at Manchester Piccadilly Station runs until Sunday, March 1, 12-6pm. Entry is free, with advance timed tickets available to book here.