Last modified on Tue 1 Jun 2021 13.50 EDT
Unusually for a graphic designer, Ken Garland, who has died aged 92 of cancer, was not afraid to broadcast his political views. An influential practitioner, inspiring teacher, photographer, writer and performer at design conferences, he was also a lifelong socialist and an avid supporter of CND.
He belonged, as the design historian Robin Kinross has noted, to “the first generation of fully fledged graphic designers in Britain”, one of a number of graduates from the Central School of Arts and Crafts (now part of the University of the Arts London) who made a substantial impact in the second half of the 20th century.
This week, Salone del Mobile revealed its plans for an "unmissable" edition of the furniture fair called Supersalone curated by architect Stefano Boeri.
Unit Editions: Ken Garland, Structure and Substance
One of the most pre-eminent British post-war designers, Ken Garland had a long and distinguished career as a commercial designer but was also passionate about ethics, particularly the use and abuse of imagery for advertising purposes. Born in 1929, he was fascinated by graphic and commercial art and collage from a young age. At the age of 16, Garland went to study ‘commercial design’ at the West of England Academy of Art in Bristol, now part of the University of Western England. He graduated in 1947, undertook his military service and eventually found himself at the Central School of Arts and Crafts in London. It was a fertile time for British design education. His tutors at Central included Anthony Froshaug and Herbert Spencer and among his fellow students were the Pentagram founders Alan Fletcher and Colin Forbes, together with designers Derek Birdsall and DRU member Alan Ball.