Archive Methodology
Design Reviewed is built from a physical collection of original graphic design artefacts.
Each object provides a starting point for research. Wherever possible, information is established from the object itself before being checked against additional primary and secondary sources.
The archive is continually developing. New information is added, existing records are expanded and attributions are corrected as further evidence becomes available.
Collecting
The Design Reviewed collection has been built over more than a decade through specialist dealers, auctions, booksellers, private collections, designers and other sources.
Collecting priorities are guided by the potential of an object to contribute to a broader understanding of graphic design history.
This includes work by established designers, but also anonymous and under-documented material, regional histories, specialist publications and everyday graphic design that may otherwise disappear.
Cataloguing
Objects are catalogued using the information available from the physical artefact and supporting research.
Records may include:
- Title
- Designer or designers
- Publication
- Publisher or client
- Date
- Country
- Format
- Series
- Design movement or context
- Related designers and artefacts
This information allows objects to be connected across the archive rather than existing as isolated images.
Attribution
Designer credits are recorded when there is reasonable evidence supporting the attribution.
Evidence may come directly from mastheads, colophons, captions, signatures, publisher information, contemporary documentation, established bibliographic sources or other reliable records.
Where an attribution cannot be verified, Design Reviewed aims to distinguish between confirmed information and informed identification rather than presenting speculation as fact.
Historic publications frequently contain incomplete or inconsistent credits. Research therefore continues after an object has been added to the archive.
Dates
Dates are taken from the artefact wherever possible.
Where an object is undated, publication histories, printing information, contemporary advertisements, library catalogues and related material may be used to establish or narrow its likely date.
Translation
Design Reviewed contains material published in numerous languages.
Translations are produced to make historical material more accessible to an international audience.
Where possible, translations are checked against the context of the original publication. Historical terminology can be ambiguous, particularly in specialist printing, typography and advertising texts, and translations may be revised when better information becomes available.
Sources
Research may draw upon the artefact itself, contemporary publications, books, museum collections, library catalogues, institutional archives, designer estates, academic research and other appropriate sources.
Where an article makes substantial use of external research, sources should be acknowledged wherever practical.
Corrections
Graphic design history is incomplete.
Credits can be absent, names can be misspelled, dates can conflict and information repeated for decades can turn out to be incorrect.
Design Reviewed therefore treats the archive as an evolving research resource rather than a finished historical record.
If you identify an error or have additional information about an object, designer or publication, contributions are welcome.
Contribute to the Research
Objects are digitised to document their design and make them accessible for research and education.
The physical objects remain preserved within the Design Reviewed collection.
Design Reviewed has grown through looking closely at physical objects and connecting information that is often scattered across publications, languages and collections.
Researchers, designers, families, publishers and institutions with additional information are encouraged to get in touch.
