The Graphic Design in Britain course focuses on the methods and procedures used in the practice of graphic design and examines these in relation to the culture of England and the cultural diversity of London. Designed to be taken along with the course, Advertising in the UK, this pairing offers a unique programme option for students in the visual arts.

Course Objectives

This course will provide a thorough grounding of perceptual and problem solving skills to graphic design, with emphasis on the selection and communication of appropriate pictorial images, symbols, and typography. The study of methods and procedures used in the practice of graphic design will be taught in relation to the culture of England and the cultural diversity of London.

The course aims to provide you with a cultural experience. It will offer an intensive and exciting activity in a specific area of Western graphic design. Sessions will focus on several areas through in-class projects: music graphics, theatre poster design, concept book, and the history of graphic design with particular emphasis on the contribution and influence of graphic design work by British born artists. The impact of technology on the visual arts will be examined and discussed from contemporary and historical perspectives. In addition, each student will learn the fundamental and complex interactions of visual elements as manifested through a variety of digital media using a computer.

The syllabus and course readings are listed below. Please log in to view these items.

Graphic Design Faculty

Richard Doubleday BFA, Massachusetts College of Art; MFA, Boston University, Dean's Scholar. Richard also teaches in the London Liberal Arts Program. His awards and honors include a Marion and Jasper Whiting Foundation Fellowship, a Boston University Grant for Undergraduate Teaching and Scholarship (GUTS), and a visiting fellowship at Chelsea College of Art & Design, University of the Arts London. Richard has exhibited his poster designs at many international events and competitions, including the International Poster Triennial in Toyama, Japan and solo exhibitions at the Rafael Landivar University, Guatemala, Universidad Iberoamericana, Mexico City and Suzhou Art and Design Technology Institute, China. Richard recently led a cultural concept book workshop at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong.

Richard is principal of Richard Doubleday Design. He is a former graphic designer for Rothman Partners, Inc. Architects and Lincoln Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Richard is a contributing author for Phaidon Archive of Graphic Design (Phaidon, London 2010), Typo-Graphics: Hideki Nakajima (Seibundo Shinkosha, Tokyo 2008), and serves as an editorial advisor and contributor for the 4th and 5th editions of Meggs' History of Graphic Design (John Wiley & Sons, New Jersey 2006). Has published articles in leading professional periodicals, including Baseline, IDEA, A! DISEÑO, IdN, Icograda, Print, NOVUM, Neshan, Shift, Typo Prague, and Australian Creative. Richard is author of Jan Tschichold, Designer: The Penguin Years (Oak Knoll Press, Delaware; Lund Humphries, London 2006) and co-author of Jan Tschichold - Master Typographer: His Life, Work & Legacy (Thames & Hudson, London 2008). His work has been published in several publications, including Design & Packaging China, The Sourcebook of Contemporary Graphic Design (HarperCollins, New York 2009), and 1 & 2 Colors (HarperCollins, New York 2009). Richard was recently a guest juror at the Tokyo Type Directors Club Annual Awards and a contributing writer for the Tokyo TDC Vol. 20: The Best in International Typography & Design (Transart, Tokyo 2009). He is a former board member, College of Fine Arts Alumni Association and is a member of the Society of Printers in Boston, Massachusetts, United States.

Born in Cleethorpes, Kerry William Purcell worked as a picture editor for a national left-wing magazine, before becoming the archivist at The Photographers' Gallery, London. From 2000 onwards he has been a writer, design critic and historian. His first book on the celebrated art director and photographer Alexey Brodovitch was published by Phaidon Press in 2002. This has been followed by his concise biography on the renowned photographer Weegee (Phaidon, London, 2004), his comprehensive study of the Swiss graphic designer Josef Müller-Brockmann (Phaidon, London, 2006) and a book on the work of Magnum photographer Steve McCurry entitled In the Shadow of the Mountains (Phaidon, London, 2007). His writing has also been published in several anthologies and appears regularly in Eye and Baseline magazines. Amongst various projects, he is currently editing a major publication on graphic design history.

Since 2002 he has lectured on the design history programme at Kingston University, London. He is also a visiting lecturer at Ravensbourne College of Design and Communication and The University of Creative Arts.

In 2005 he co-organised the international graphic design conference New Views at the University of Arts, London. While in 2006 he was made a Researcher in the Faculty of Art, Design & Architecture at Kingston.

Course Syllabus and Materials

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