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Graphic Design History Workshop

Inspiring students from Leeds Beckett University

Last month (March 2022), I spoke to over fifty Graphic Design undergraduates about the archive and my passion for design history, after which the students had full access to items in the collection and participated in discourse amongst their peers and lecturers. As part of their critical studies unit, the students will be producing essays and content related to the impact, history and aesthetics of selected artefacts.

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As part of an ongoing partnership with Leeds Beckett University our creative director, I have been delivering a range of inspirational workshops using my archive of graphic design history.

Last month (March 2022), I spoke to over fifty Graphic Design undergraduates about the archive and my passion for design history, after which the students had full access to items in the collection and participated in discourse amongst their peers and lecturers. As part of their critical studies unit, the students will be producing essays and content related to the impact, history and aesthetics of selected artefacts.

Leeds Beckett University students utilising the design archive
Leeds Beckett University students utilising the design archive

The design archive houses over 4,000 artefacts from around the world with items spanning over a century of design history. The collection has been collected for over a decade and remains an important resource for the documentation and preservation of design history.

Leeds Beckett University students utilising the design archive
Leeds Beckett University students utilising the design archive
Leeds Beckett University students utilising the design archive
Leeds Beckett University students utilising the design archive

More graphic design articles

Members Content

FILM Quarterly, 05, 1970. Cover design by Kiyoshi Awazu
  • Design Archive Feature, Members Only Content

Kiyoshi Awazu. Japanese Graphic Designer | 1929 – 2009

Kiyoshi Awazu (粟津) was a renowned Japanese graphic designer, known for his contributions across various creative fields including poster design, architecture, set design, filmmaking, and illustration. His unique style was commissioned by theatre groups, design and architecture magazines and various organisations for the covers of book covers and posters.

Members Content

Design (Japan), 61, 1964. Cover design by Kohei Sugiura
  • Design Archive Feature, Members Only Content

Kohei Sugiura. Japanese Graphic Designer | 1932

Kohei Sugiura’s work spans an impressive range of mediums, including record jackets, publication covers, posters, exhibition catalogues, and stamps. He perfectly merged functionality and data visualisation with aesthetics. Drawing on his background in architecture, Sugiura applied a systematic, programmatic methodology to graphic design, similar to the approach of Swiss designer Karl Gerstner. 
Typografische Monatsblätter, 04, 1961. Cover design by Emil Ruder
  • Design Archive Feature

Swiss Design Principles Today

A short free-to-access feature on Swiss Design. The movement was influenced by Bauhaus and De Stijl, sought clarity and visual unity, making it a powerful force in global graphic design that remains influential today.

Members Content

Drawings for rhymes by Annie MG Schmidt, Netherlands Stamps, 1967. Designed by Wim Bijmoer
  • Design Archive Feature, Members Only Content

A Visual History of the Netherlands Children’s Charity Stamps (Kinderpostzegels)

In December 1924, the Netherlands introduced children's stamps (Kinderzegels). Over the years, these stamps have featured designs by some of the most prominent Dutch designers, including Gerard Kiljan, P. Koch, Gerrit Noordzij, Otto Treuman, Robert Deodaat Emile ‘Ootje’ Oxenaar, Dick Bruna, Jan van Toorn, and Karel Martens.

Members Content

Playing Cards, Takenobu Igarashi, Museum of Modern Art, 1993
  • Design Archive Feature, Members Only Content

Takenobu Igarashi. Japanese Graphic Designer | 1944

Takenobu Igarashi was born in 1944 in Tokyo and is best known for his typographic work as both a sculptor and designer. His work in over 30 permanent museum collections and continues to inspire designers today.

Members Content

Wayfinding - Olympics/Montreal Olympic Games Organising Committee. Art Direction - Georges Halle/Pierre Yves Berthier. Design - Pierre Fontaine/Raymond Bellemare 1976 Scanned from Graphic Elements of the World Vol 3, Kashiwa Art Publishing, 1984
  • Members Only Content

Navigating Public Spaces and the Principles of Good Design

Just like people, cities are complex systems. Planners and designers play a key role in making them function smoothly through well-designed signage systems and visual identities. These elements must not clutter the environment but instead serve to inform, direct, and warn the public effectively.  

Members Content

spoorboekje 1985-1986, Nederlandse Spoorwegen, 1985 Designed by Tel Design
  • Design Archive Feature, Members Only Content

Network Maps and Timetable Design: Navigating the Complex Cityscape

Notes on transit and network map design, including the iconic London Underground map by Harry Beck, the importance of visual clarity, and the role of accessible design in timetable design.

Members Content

Postmodernism - Wet Magazine, Vol 4 Issue 2, 1979. Designed by April Greiman
  • Design Archive Feature, Members Only Content

A New Visual Language: From New Wave to Postmodernism in Graphic Design

A 1,500 essay on the transformative era of graphic design from the 1970s to the 1990s. Moving beyond the constraints of modernism, designers like Wolfgang Weingart and April Greiman redefined visual communication through bold experimentation with type, colour, and early computer graphics. This essay highlights how postmodernism and New Wave design introduced complexity, individuality, and digital innovation in to graphic design.