Just where do we go from here?
Event Details
JWT Building 1 Knightsbridge Green
London SW1X 7NW
10 May 2005 7:00pm
Ken Garland is notable as a British graphic designer, author and game designer. Garland established Ken Garland Associates in 1962.
Garland studied design at London’s Central School of Arts and Crafts in the early 1950s (at a time when Alan Fletcher and other later-prominent designers were also students).
In November 1963 Garland authored the First Things First manifesto which advocated “in favour of the more useful and more lasting forms of communication” over the increasing overuse of design talent in advertising.
The manifesto was signed by 21 others. In January 1964, the manifesto was reprinted by Tony Benn in his column in The Guardian. As a result, Garland was invited onto the BBC to read a section of the manifesto. The manifesto was subsequently reprinted by many design publications in Britain and later internationally. In the spirit of Garland’s 1964 manifesto, a prominent group of 23 designers, including Garland, produced and signed the First Things First 2000 manifesto.
In addition to his output in graphic design, Garland has produced many articles for design publications. He is the author of the 1994 book, Mr. Beck’s Underground Map. The University of Reading published a collection of Garland’s writings as A Word in Your Eye. In 2001 Baseline magazine produced a collection of Garland’s photography as a book called Metaphors.
Garland is the designer of several games including Connect and Rivers, Roads & Rails.