Munich '72 - Design Legacy
29 June - 31 July 2012
Herbert Read Gallery, UCA Canterbury
Munich '72 - Design Legacy presents the trailblazing design heritage of the Olympic games held in Germany forty years ago. The exhibition offers a very rare opportunity to see the groundbreaking pictorial symbols (pictograms), a selection of the 42 pioneering posters, and other items designed and produced for the Olympic Games in Munich 1972. It offers a first hand account of the evolution of the designs, the subsequent commercialisation of aspects of the work produced for Munich '72 and the design impact on subsequent international visual communication strategies and standards including London 2012. It is a showcase for a combination of fantastic design solutions, creativity and Olympic spirit.
The exhibition is held to coincide with the London Olympiad including the passage of the Olympic flame through Canterbury and the opening of the 2012 Olympic games in July 2012. The project draws upon the significant collection of key
material by Ian McLaren who was a senior member of Otl Aicher's design team. Whilst the posters illustrate the institution of the Olympiad, the sports and the cultural programme, the pictograms have been associated with the subsequent
successful commercialisation by Aicher for the lighting manufacturer ERCO. These exhibits are enriched by accompanying material such as the official guidebook to the games, daily programmes and detailed technical documentation. This material will foster an understanding of the power of graphic design and typography to communicate persuasively new ideas and shape institutional and collective values.
The one-day symposium aims to explore the innovative and continued appeal of the Munich '72 design approach and solutions. Bringing together leading Graphic Designers it considers why the international profession is still interested in this 40
year old visual communication concept. It examines what influence the strategy and the resulting posters, pictograms, information design, and range of print and promotion materials developed then may have had over the past decades to the
present day. The contributions will highlight the conceptual, material and technical knowledge, skills and experience required in visual communication then and now, and the relevance of Munich '72 design solutions to the development of training, curricula and research for current and future generations of creative practitioners.
Herbert Read Gallery, UCA Canterbury
The Herbert Read Gallery hosts exhibitions which relate to the subject specialisms of its Canterbury campus. The University also organises exhibitions of work produced by current and former students and staff in collaboration with external venues such as local hospitals and health centres, businesses and other educational institutions.
Opening Times
Monday - Friday 10am - 4pm
Admission free.
There is parking at the campus (including disabled bays) and full disabled access to the gallery.
Please visit the Exhibition Archive.
