Blog: Design history
1 October 2020
Twisted characters
Hamish Smyth’s wordmarks for Gaslit Nation and Bellingcat are memorable graphic identities for organisations that fight populism and disinformation with solid research and truth.
By John L. Walters
Hamish Smyth’s identity for the Gaslit Nation podcast is a smart piece of design for…
19 September 2020
Crouwel’s institutional intuition
On the first anniversary of Wim Crouwel’s death, Alex J. Todd recalls a visit to the Stedelijk Museum exhibition ‘Mr. Gridnik’
On 19 September 2019, nine days before the opening of ‘Wim Crouwel: Mr. Gridnik’ at…
4 September 2020
Artificial sunshine
Illuminated lettering signals entertainment and escapism by the sea. The fifth in Justin Burns’s series about coastal graphic design
If we take away the bright lights is there a place? The Blackpool Illuminations first…
1 September 2020
David King: Ranged Left!
Eye’s next Type Tuesday, ‘David King: Ranged Left!’ will celebrate the life and work of David King (1943-2016)
Please join us for the next Type Tuesday at 6pm (British Summer Time) on…
20 July 2020
Pier review
Decorative typography and lettering evoke the halcyon days of the British seaside. The fourth in Justin Burns’s series about coastal graphic design
Lettering, typography, and accentuated three-dimensional signs dominate the British coast, writes Justin Burns. The bright…
9 July 2020
Type Tuesday: I ❤️ MG
Join us via Zoom for Eye’s Type Tuesday special on 14 July 2020 to hear Steven Heller and a panel of guests pay tribute to Milton Glaser
Milton Glaser, who died last month on 26 June, his 91st birthday, is such an…
3 June 2020
Books of seaside revelations
Guidebooks have enticed visitors to resorts since the nineteenth century. The third in Justin Burns’s series about coastal graphic design in the UK
For decades, the guidebook has navigated visitors through the bright lights of the seaside, showcasing…
27 April 2020
Are we there yet?
In the second instalment of Eye’s online series about graphic design at the UK seaside, Justin Burns navigates the history of the travel poster
The Bank Holiday, a very British institution, was first introduced in 1871, allowing workers an…
23 April 2020
Where do ideas come from?
A mischievous book by Claes Oldenburg showed me the importance of realising an idea physically, writes Andy Martin
I first came across Notes in Hand in the mid-1970s, when I was a freshly…
16 April 2020
Resorting to type
In the first of a new series of Eye blog posts, Justin Burns explores the graphic language of the British seaside
Walk along the promenade and we are met with the sounds, smells and signs that…