Graphic Thought Facility: Resourceful Design
March 27–August 17, 2008
Gallery 24

Overview: Graphic Thought Facility (GTF) is the first exhibition at the Art Institute devoted solely to graphic design. Established in 1990, the studio led by Huw Morgan, Paul Neale, and Andy Stevens has emerged as one of the most progressive and creative design firms working in both two and three dimensions. The firm is well known in Britain for creating the brand identities of some of the bastions of British design, including Habitat, a furnishings and interior design retailer launched in 1964 by Terence Conran; the Design Museum in London; and Frieze, London’s major annual contemporary art fair. Also active in book design, GTF designed monographs on the work of Ron Arad and Tord Boonjte as well as the exhibition catalogue for the 54th Carnegie International in 2003, all of which are presented in the exhibition.

Designed by Graphic Thought Facility. Design Museum cafe graphics, 2003. Design Museum, London. Image courtesy of Graphic Thought Facility.

Both comprehensive and innovative, GTF’s design work cuts across commercial and cultural practices and high-tech and low-tech modes of production. Committed to the expressive power of images and typography, GTF is known for pushing the boundaries of materials and methods. Rejecting the slickly styled graphics that characterized much of British design in the 1990s, GTF instead favors a “do-it-yourself” aesthetic. Whether designing exquisite publications, exhibitions, or brand identities, GTF encourages its viewers to take notice of the
richness of our world.

Catalogue: The first fully illustrated publication to explore the work of Graphic Thought Facility accompanies the exhibition. Part of the Architecture and Design Series published by the Art Institute and Yale University Press, the catalogue will be available in the Museum Shop.

Curator: Zoë Ryan, Neville Bryan Curator of Design

Sponsor: This exhibition was made possible by the generous support of the Fellows and Benefactors of the Architecture and Design Department, Celia and David Hilliard Fund, the Architecture & Design Society, British Airways, and the British Council.