Mid 1950s – early 1980s
The growth of systematic visual identity design for businesses and institutions, defining modern branding through consistency and clarity.
The rise of corporate identity from the mid-1950s onwards saw graphic designers apply systematic visual thinking to the branding of businesses and institutions, which created the foundations of modern brand design.
Paul Rand’s work for IBM, Total Design’s systematic approach in the Netherlands, and Olivetti’s commitment to design across all touchpoints defined what corporate identity could be and is today. The archive documents this tradition through designer profiles, scanned publications, and printed matter covering the movement’s most significant designers.
A 1971 portfolio and exhibition catalogue documenting the corporate identity work of Henrion Design Associates, a rare find revealing the full scope of FHK Henrion's branding practice.
Read Article
Advertising Design, Design Archive Feature, Members Only Content, Regional Histories
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.
Read Article
Advertising Design, Design Archive Feature, Members Only Content, Regional Histories
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.
Read Article
Corporate Identity & Branding, Design Archive Feature, Members Only Content, Regional Histories, Studios & Collectives
Banks & Miles, were founded in 1958 by Colin Banks and John Miles and became renowned for their design work with major British institutions and companies. They made significant contributions to type design and corporate identity.
Read Article
Corporate Identity & Branding, Design Archive Feature, Members Only Content, Regional Histories
KLM's brand evolution by Henrion Design Associates. Founded in 1919, KLM is the world's oldest operating airline. In 1961, Henrion Design Associates redesigned the iconic brand, overcoming challenges of standardisation and outdated aesthetics.
Read Article
Corporate Identity & Branding, Design Archive Feature, Designer Profiles, Members Only Content, Regional Histories
Crouwel was the successor to Willem Sandberg who used an avant-garde approach in his work, utilising torn-paper montage, mixing of sans serif and old Egyptian typefaces and often off-center positioning. Crouwel steered away from this artistic approach and implemented a cohesive design system and a strong identity that emulated the corporate identity boom of the 1950s and 60s.
Read Article
Corporate Identity & Branding, Design Archive Feature
House style can give identity to the diverse products or activities of a firm. It stimulates loyalty, helps to reduce costs, and has advertising value.
Read Article
Corporate Identity & Branding, Design Archive Feature, Members Only Content, Regional Histories, Studios & Collectives
The identity manual consisted of 130 pages of information and brand usage with Arie J. Geurts heading up the project as design director, (who later headed up his own design studio in Los Angeles). The identity uses minimal colour and focuses on a consistent brand blue in all communications.
Read ArticleExplore designers central to this movement including Paul Rand, Alan Fletcher, Bob Gill, and Colin Forbes. See also International Typographic Style and 1960s graphic design history.
From the graphic design archive:
From the graphic design archive:
From the graphic design archive:
From the graphic design archive:
From the graphic design archive:
From the graphic design archive:
From the graphic design archive:
From the graphic design archive:
From the graphic design archive:
From the graphic design archive:
From the graphic design archive:
From the graphic design archive:
Design Archive Feature, Designer Profiles, Ephemera, Members Only Content
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.
Read Article
Members Only Content, Design Archive Feature, Designer Profiles
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
Members Only Content, Designer Profiles, Studios & Collectives
A 1903-1904 article on Die Steglitzer Werkstatt, originally in German, published in Deutsche Kunst und Dekoration, Vol. XIII, October 1903–March 1904.
Read Article
Regional Histories, Ephemera, Illustration, Members Only Content
A collected visual record of the Kanto, Chubu and Tohoku Lottery tickets.
Read Article
Designer Profiles, Members Only Content, Movements
April Greiman is known for her experimental approach to graphic design, her role in the development of Californian New Wave and being one of the first designers to fully embrace the computer in her work.
Read Article
Illustration, Ephemera, Members Only Content, Regional Histories
A collected visual record of the first eight years of Japan’s Rural Medical Care Promotion Lottery.
Read Article
