Ronk, Nr, 21, 1926. Cover design by Peet Aren

1920s Graphic Design History

Graphic design from the archive designed and printed in the 1920s, alongside design articles focused around this decade.
Ronk, Nr, 21, 1926. Cover design by Peet Aren

Design Articles based on this decade

Valentin Zietara, by H K Frenzel translated by E. T. Scheffauer

Members Only Content, Design Archive Feature, Designer Profiles

Valentin Zietara, by H K Frenzel translated by E. T. Scheffauer

An article on Valentin Zietara , originally in German, published in Gebrauchsgraphik, 10, 1930, written by H K Frenzel translated by E. T. Scheffauer

Read Article
Euro Deco. European Art Deco Graphic Design

Movements, Advertising Design, Design Archive Feature, Members Only Content

Euro Deco. European Art Deco Graphic Design

Art Deco graphic design history: its Paris origins, key pioneers Cassandre, Carlu and McKnight Kauffer, and how the style evolved across Britain, Germany, Italy, Spain and the US.

Read Article
Industry Unions and Design Magazines

Design Archive Feature, Design Education, Magazines & Publishing, Members Only Content

Industry Unions and Design Magazines

Across Europe, industry unions and trade journals shaped the professionalisation of graphic design between 1890 and 1930. Journals such as Typografia, Das Plakat, The Penrose Annual and Typographische Jahrbucher.

Read Article
Art Nouveau to Modernism – Graphic Design History

Design Archive Feature, Members Only Content, Movements, Typography & Type Design

Art Nouveau to Modernism – Graphic Design History

From Jugend and Ver Sacrum to Penrose Annual, an essay on design movements, shaping modernism, and early graphic design.

Read Article
Karl Schulpig by Dr. Walter F. Schubert, Berlin. Translated from Archiv für Buchgewerbe und Gebrauchsgraphik, March 1925

Advertising Design, Design Archive Feature, Designer Profiles, Members Only Content

Karl Schulpig by Dr. Walter F. Schubert, Berlin. Translated from Archiv für Buchgewerbe und Gebrauchsgraphik, March 1925

A 1925 article on Karl Schulpig, originally in German and published in Archiv für Buchgewerbe und Gebrauchsgraphik, March 1925.

Read Article
Gebrauchsgraphik – Almost a Century of Design Reference

Design Archive Feature, Magazines & Publishing, Members Only Content

Gebrauchsgraphik – Almost a Century of Design Reference

The dedication of Gebrauchsgraphiks editors and publishers significantly influenced the spread and impact of graphic design, documenting countless designers who might otherwise have been forgotten over the last century since its first issue hit newsstands. Design magazines play a crucial role in supporting the design profession and remain vital resources for designers and historians alike.

Read Article
The 1920s design work of Joseph Binder

Design Archive Feature, Designer Profiles, Members Only Content, Poster Design, Regional Histories

The 1920s design work of Joseph Binder

Joseph Binder established his studio, Wiener Graphik, in Vienna. One of the first clients was the City of Vienna’s Music and Theater Festival, followed by many other posters and logos for clients in Austria and beyond.

Read Article
1920s Japanese Publicity Design of the Shochikuza Theatre

Design Archive Feature, Illustration, Members Only Content, Regional Histories

1920s Japanese Publicity Design of the Shochikuza Theatre

Japan's first foreign film venue, Shochikuza Theatre (1923) is an icon of Modernism. Its Art Deco-influenced advertising, showcased in the 1925 Shochikuza News magazine, offers a glimpse into Japans influences from the West.

Read Article

1920s Graphic Design

Die Reklame, Leipzig Advertising Fair Special Issue, February 1925

From the graphic design archive:

Die Reklame, Leipzig Advertising Fair Special Issue, February 1925

  • Format: Magazine
  • Designer/s: Lucian Bernhard & Fritz Rosen
  • Year: 1925
Gebrauchsgraphik, 06, 1929

From the graphic design archive:

Gebrauchsgraphik, 06, 1929

  • Format: Magazine
  • Designer/s: Gerhard Marggraf
  • Year: 1929
Die Reklame, No. 1, 1. Märzheft/March issue, 1927

From the graphic design archive:

Die Reklame, No. 1, 1. Märzheft/March issue, 1927

  • Format: Magazine
  • Designer/s: Hermann Müsch
  • Year: 1927
Das Plakat, Vol 12, No. 10, 1921

From the graphic design archive:

Das Plakat, Vol 12, No. 10, 1921

  • Format: Magazine
  • Year: 1921
Jugend Magazine, Vol 30, No. 28, 1925

From the graphic design archive:

Jugend Magazine, Vol 30, No. 28, 1925

  • Format: Magazine
  • Year: 1925
The British Oxygen Company Limited, Letter, Sheffield, 1927

From the graphic design archive:

The British Oxygen Company Limited, Letter, Sheffield, 1927

  • Format: Letter
  • Year: 1927
Die Reklame, No. 19, 1. Oktoberheft/first October issue, 1929

From the graphic design archive:

Die Reklame, No. 19, 1. Oktoberheft/first October issue, 1929

  • Format: Magazine
  • Designer/s: Germroth
  • Year: 1929
AGU, No. 4, Tallinna Eesti Kirjastus-Ühisus, January 1923

From the graphic design archive:

AGU, No. 4, Tallinna Eesti Kirjastus-Ühisus, January 1923

  • Format: Magazine
  • Year: 1923
Magasins Réunis, Promotional Diary, 1929

From the graphic design archive:

Magasins Réunis, Promotional Diary, 1929

  • Format: Book
  • Year: 1929
S.D.A.P. / N.V.V. Arbeidersjaarboekje 1927, 1927

From the graphic design archive:

S.D.A.P. / N.V.V. Arbeidersjaarboekje 1927, 1927

  • Format: Book
  • Designer/s: Fré Cohen (estimated)
  • Year: 1927
S.D.A.P. / N.V.V. Arbeidersjaarboekje 1926, 1926

From the graphic design archive:

S.D.A.P. / N.V.V. Arbeidersjaarboekje 1926, 1926

  • Format: Book
  • Designer/s: Fré Cohen
  • Year: 1926
S.D.A.P. / N.V.V. Arbeidersjaarboekje 1925, 1925

From the graphic design archive:

S.D.A.P. / N.V.V. Arbeidersjaarboekje 1925, 1925

  • Format: Book
  • Designer/s: Fré Cohen
  • Year: 1925
Arbeidersjaarboekje voor 1924, N.V. Ontwikkelin, 1924

From the graphic design archive:

Arbeidersjaarboekje voor 1924, N.V. Ontwikkelin, 1924

  • Format: Book
  • Designer/s: Fré Cohen
  • Year: 1924