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Category: Regional Histories

Articles on regional graphic design histories. The national design traditions of Germany, Japan, Switzerland, Italy, the USA, the
Netherlands, and beyond.

The largest category in the Design Reviewed article library. Articles exploring the national and regional graphic design traditions documented in the archive. From German Gebrauchsgraphik and Swiss modernism to Japanese design culture and Italian advertising, these articles examine how place has shaped graphic design history.

Articles Related to Regional Histories

Membership from £2.49/month unlocks articles researched and inspired by the artefacts in the collection.

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365th Kanto, Chubu and Tohoku Lottery, Bird and Berries, Japanese Lottery Ticket, 1966 copy
  • Ephemera, Illustration, Members Only Content, Regional Histories

130 Kantō, Chūbu and Tōhoku Lottery Tickets, 1966 – 1971

A collected visual record of the Kanto, Chubu and Tohoku Lottery tickets.

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54th Rural Medical Care Promotion Lottery, Child Eating Corn, Japanese Lottery Ticket, 1978
  • Ephemera, Illustration, Members Only Content, Regional Histories

84 Tickets from the Rural Medical Care Promotion Lottery, Japan, 1974–82

A collected visual record of the first eight years of Japan’s Rural Medical Care Promotion Lottery.

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24th Chūgoku–Shikoku Joint Lottery, Japanese Lottery Ticket, 1957
  • Ephemera, Illustration, Members Only Content, Regional Histories

Another 50 Japanese Lottery Tickets

A continuation of my last article: 50 tickets from Japan spanning nearly 50 years (1956–2004). This time it's another 50, spanning 50 years, 1956–2006.

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30th Chūgoku-Shikoku Joint Lottery, Japanese Lottery Ticket, 1958
  • Ephemera, Illustration, Members Only Content, Regional Histories

50 Japanese Lottery Tickets

50 tickets from Japan spanning nearly 50 years (1956–2004).

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Examples of Czech Typography from 1910, Typografia
  • Design Archive Feature, Members Only Content, Regional Histories, Typography & Type Design

60 Examples of Czech Typography from 1910, Typografia

60 examples of Czech typography from Typografia Vol. 21 (1910). Czech commercial printing and book design as Secession ornament progressed to early modernist typography, with work by Alois Rieger, Methoděj Kaláb, Alois Chvála and many more.

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Concert Poster for the Smetana Choral Society, Plzeň 1911
  • Design Archive Feature, Members Only Content, Regional Histories, Typography & Type Design

60 Examples of Czech Typography from 1912, Typografia

60 examples of Czech typography from Typografia Vol. 23 (1912). Czech commercial printing and book design as Secession ornament progressed to early modernist typography, with work by Jindra Dvořáček, Methoděj Kaláb, Alois Chvála and many more.

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Typographic School Exhibition Poster
  • Design Archive Feature, Members Only Content, Regional Histories, Typography & Type Design

60 Examples of Czech Typography from 1911, Typografia

60 examples of Czech typography from Typografia Vol. 22 (1911). Czech commercial printing at the crossroads of Art Nouveau and early modernism, with work by Methoděj Kaláb, Alois Chvála, V. H. Brunner and many more.
Examples of Czech Typography from 1909, Typografia
  • Design Archive Feature, Members Only Content, Regional Histories, Typography & Type Design

60 Examples of Czech Typography from 1909, Typografia

60 examples of Czech typography from Typografia Vol. 20 (1909). Czech commercial printing at the crossroads of Art Nouveau and early modernism, with work by Methoděj Kaláb, Otokar Císař, Karel Dyrink and many more.

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Advertising Design for Pražská Lidová Revue Magazine
  • Design Archive Feature, Members Only Content, Regional Histories, Typography & Type Design

40 Examples of Czech Typography from 1907, Typografia

40 examples of Czech typography from Typografia Vol. 18 (1907). Czech commercial printing at the crossroads of Art Nouveau and early modernism, with work by Otokar Císař, Method Kaláb, and Mořic Novotný.

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Catalogue cover design for a pipe and cement goods factory. Designed by Otokar Císař
  • Design Archive Feature, Members Only Content, Regional Histories, Typography & Type Design

50 Examples of Czech Typography from 1908, Typografia

50 examples of Czech typography from Typografia Vol. XIX (1908). Czech commercial printing at the crossroads of Art Nouveau and early modernism, with work by Otokar Císař, Method Kaláb, and Mořic Novotný.

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Supplement to Typografie, year 20, n 8. Produced by the Art Institute Průha, Prague–Vinohrady, Klicperova Street 6. Colours & printing by H. Golmannová, Dresden.
  • Design Archive Feature, Magazines & Publishing, Members Only Content, Regional Histories

Covering Art Nouveau, the Czech magazine, Typografia

A great way to visualise these stylistic variations and their progression is by looking through magazine covers and interior pages produced during the movement. The covers of Typografia that best represent the Czech Secese style of Art Nouveau were produced between 1907 and 1911.

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Exhibition poster featuring modern design.
  • Advertising Design, Design Archive Feature, Members Only Content, Regional Histories

Advertising in Japan, 1960. An Overview of Graphic Design from Japan

An overview of Graphic Design from Japan from the year 1960, complemented by 50 scanned images from Annual of Advertising Art in Japan 1960 (Bijyutu Shuppan Sha, 1960).

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Acna Montecatini, Milano advertising designed by Pino Tavaglia
  • Advertising Design, Members Only Content, Regional Histories

Pubblicità in Italia 1962-63. An Overview of Italian Advertising

Following on from my previous articles on post-war Italian publicity design, an additional annual from 1962-63 showcases more examples of Italian advertising.

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GKN, Tensilock Self Locking Hex Screws, Brochure, 1960's
  • Advertising Design, Design Archive Feature, Members Only Content, Regional Histories

Functional Beauty: British Industrial Brochures from the 1960s

The clear, rational, and functional design of 1960s industrial design brochures.

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Poster for cigarette designs by Michael Engelmann
  • Design Archive Feature, Members Only Content, Poster Design, Regional Histories

Posters from the 1961/62 Best German Posters Awards (Die besten Plakate des Jahres)

One of the main features in Gebrauchsgraphik 08, 1962 is focused on the 1961/62 annual poster awards in Germany. Over 400 posters were submitted to the awards.

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Film poster designed by Hans Hillman
  • Design Archive Feature, Members Only Content, Poster Design, Regional Histories

Posters from the 1962/63 Best German Posters Awards (Die besten Plakate des Jahres)

One of the main features in Gebrauchsgraphik 08, 1963 is focused on the 1962/63 annual poster awards in Germany. Over twenty posters were awarded by the Association of German Commercial Artists.

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Olivetti advertising designed by Giovanni Pintori
  • Advertising Design, Design Archive Feature, Members Only Content, Regional Histories

Pubblicità in Italia 1959-60. An Overview of Italian Advertising

Following on from my previous article on publicity design from 1957-58, an additional annual from 1959-60 showcases another year of great advertising and design from Italy.

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Poster for Civil Defense designed by Hanswerner Klein
  • Design Archive Feature, Members Only Content, Poster Design, Regional Histories

Posters from the 1963/64 Best German Posters Awards (Die besten Plakate des Jahres)

Gebrauchsgraphik 08, 1964 features a selection of the German Posters entered into the 1963/64 awards. 22 posters were awarded by the Association of German Commercial Artists and the awards showcased some of the best poster designs of the year, that still remain effective and stylish today.

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Tony Mottola – String Band Strum-Along, Command Records, New York, 1962. Cover design by George Giusti
  • Design Archive Feature, Illustration, Members Only Content, Regional Histories

Illustrating Sound: George Giusti and Command Records

George Giusti designed around forty releases for Command, complementing the work of other designers like Josef Albers, S. Neil Fujita, Rudolph de Harak, and Charles E. Murphy.

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Mazzuchelli Cellulide : Castiglione Olona advertising design by P. Gogel. Scanned from Pubblicità in Italia 1957-58
  • Advertising Design, Design Archive Feature, Members Only Content, Regional Histories

Pubblicità in Italia 1957-58. An Overview of Italian Advertising

Pubblicità in Italia 1957-58 gathers the best advertising in Italy, showcases the diverse talents and styles and the clients who were commissioning and embracing modern design.

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Ohrbach's Department Store Advertisement design by Paul Rand in the 1940s
  • Advertising Design, Design Archive Feature, Members Only Content, Regional Histories

Paul Rand and Erik Nitsche: Promoting Ohrbach’s Department Store

These advertisements marked a move away from the illustrated American ads of glamour and American life, and instead used modernist principles and illustrated animals and characters to have a friendlier, more distinctive style of communication.

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Creative Direction for the 1984 Olympic Games. Architect - The Jerde Partnership, Art Direction - Deborah Sussman and P Prejza
  • Advertising Design, Design Archive Feature, Members Only Content, Regional Histories

Women Graphic Designers in 1980s America

This article is part of my ongoing effort to spotlight the unsung heroes of design history. I'm especially passionate about sharing voices and designs that have been overlooked or forgotten. In this piece, I focus on the work of 1980s American graphic designers, in particular, the women who broke boundaries and shaped American visual culture.

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The Typographic Work of Noel Martin
  • Design Archive Feature, Designer Profiles, Members Only Content, Regional Histories, Typography & Type Design

The Typographic Work of Noel Martin

A chance eBay find led me to a rare and extensive collection of work by midcentury American designer Noel Martin, including posters, museum ephemera, and print for major institutions like the Cincinnati Art Museum and Champion Papers.

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Westvaco Inspiration for Printers 192, West Virginia Pulp and Paper Company, 1953
  • Design Archive Feature, Members Only Content, Regional Histories, Typography & Type Design

43 American Typographic Designers from the 1950s

While gathering all my type catalogues, brochures, and instructions on print processes, I found a little book titled 43 American Typographic Designers. I have included biographical notes from the designers featured in the exhibition accompanied by artefacts I have collected that they designed.

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The Persuasive Trombone of Urbie Green, Command Records, New York, 1960. Art Direction by Charles E. Murphy,
  • Design Archive Feature, Illustration, Members Only Content, Regional Histories

Illustrating Sound: Charles E. Murphy and Command Records

Command Records was founded by Enoch Light in 1959, their record sleeves can be distinguished by their bold, illustrated, and abstract cover designs, created by a range of designers.

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Nord, French Cartoguide 01, Shell, c.1959. Cover illustration by Jean Colin
  • Design Archive Feature, Illustration, Members Only Content, Regional Histories

Illustrated Journeys: The Designs of Jean Colin

Like the other Cartoguides I have collected from Shell, these artefacts follow a consistent format. These were the first printed editions in the Cartoguides series and were published between 1958 and 1960. Each cover design was illustrated by French graphic artist, Jean Colin

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Centre, French Cartoguide 07, Shell, 1971. Illustrated by Daniel Hamot
  • Design Archive Feature, Illustration, Members Only Content, Regional Histories

Illustrated Journeys: The Designs of Daniel Hamot

A while back, I bought a set of around 14 French travel guides produced by Shell that came in a leather pouch, each bearing the signature ‘D. Hamot.’ Determining the designer's full name proved to be a challenge. Their aesthetic could reflect the shifting design trends of the late 1960s.

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Brittany, Travel Guide, 1950s. Designed by Eric Lancaster
  • Design Archive Feature, Illustration, Members Only Content, Regional Histories

Illustrated Journeys: The Designs of Eric Lancaster

As part of my ongoing series documenting publicity design in the tourism industry, here is my third piece. This time, I am showcasing my collected work of Eric Lancaster, a highly skilled graphic artist whose designs played a vital role in shaping the visual identity of mid-20th-century French tourism.
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Walter Frank Bomar - Resorts - Woman Playing Tennis, 1939
  • Designer Profiles, Members Only Content

Walter Frank Bomar, scanned from The Inland Printer, Vol 104, No. 03, 1939

A 1939 article on American designer, Walter Frank Bomar, published in The Inland Printer, Vol 104, No. 03, 1939.

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Japan Letter Writing Day, Stamp Sheet, 1999. Illustrated by Dick Bruna
  • Design Archive Feature, Designer Profiles, Ephemera, Illustration, Members Only Content

Stamps, Dick Bruna and the Making of Miffy

Beyond his books, Dick Bruna's vivid colour and simplified forms found their way onto posters, packaging, murals and stamps, many of which feature in my growing collection.

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Dieffenbach Punch Brandy and Liqueur Advertisement, Valentin Zietara
  • Design Archive Feature, Designer Profiles, Members Only Content

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