Blog: Visual culture
17 December 2020
Waves of popularity
Graphic Design plays a key role in the re-emergence of Britain’s much-loved coastal resorts. The seventh and final instalment of Justin Burns’s series about seaside graphic design
The tide comes in. The tide goes out. The seaside is, by its very nature…
11 November 2020
From analogue to activism
magCulture Live goes digital next week, for a two-day conference that celebrates the creative and social powers of magazines
Dividing its focus between ‘activism’ and ‘analogue’, magCulture 2020 shows that even in difficult, disruptive…
29 October 2020
Sea, sky, paint and pattern
Rich, decorative patterns shape our experience of the British seaside. The sixth in Justin Burns’s series on coastal graphic design
Patterns and decoration have long informed the design of seaside architecture – promenades, amusements, hotels…
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…
30 July 2020
A matter of (sour) taste
The Slavs and Tatars collective makes satirical exhibitions and installations that use pickling as a metaphor. By Gabriela Matuszyk
‘Pickle Politics’ is an eight-work cycle from collective Slavs and Tatars, writes Gabriela Matuszyk. For…
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…
6 July 2020
Say their names
In the weeks following George Floyd’s death, Minnesota’s Twin Cities filled with graphic expressions of rage, mourning, solidarity and hope. By Steven McCarthy
In the wake of George Floyd’s unwarranted death at the knee of a Minneapolis police…
18 June 2020
Roses and castles
Anthropologist Rowan Gatfield investigates the visual culture of Brayford Pool’s narrow boats
‘A Narrow Truth’ is a project that aims to illuminate hidden aspects of the waterborne…
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 May 2020
Virtual Anno
The online exhibition ‘Anno’s Journey’ is a delightful overview of work by one of Japan’s most revered illustrators. By Clare Walters
You may have missed ‘Anno’s Journey, The World of Anno Mitsumasa’ in real time, but…