In April 2005, Communicate: Independent British Graphic Design since the Sixties, curated by Rick Poyner for the Barbican Arts Centre in London, began it's tour of 4 major cities across China with the British Council. The exhibition opened in Guangzhou in April and is due to move on Shanghai in June. The exhibition in Shanghai is being accompanied by a lively educational programme which includes a UK-China web design seminar in honour of China's 10th anniversary of the internet and lectures from Rick Poyner on UK independent design history at the Shanghai and Tongji Universities.

Communicate is the first major exhibition to explore recent developments in British graphic design. Focusing on the smaller independent studios and teams who have produced the most creative, innovative and highly regarded design work over the past four decades, the exhibition presents an authoritative overview of the best design work produced since the early 1960s, tracing how and why UK graphic design has developed in the way it has. It explores the emergence of independent graphic design within the music, publishing and cultural industries, its role in the shaping of identity and the link between graphic design and the web. In addition, the exhibition highlights the place of graphic design as a medium of protest in society, as well as the increasingly important area of self-initiated work undertaken by designers.

Concentrating on the most influential work produced in the UK, Communicate will brings together over 100 visual communicators, many with international reputations. Rare and classic early pieces by designers such as John Sewell, Robin Fior, Ken Garland, Robert Brownjohn, Michael English, Martin Sharp, Katy Hepburn and Barney Bubbles are juxtaposed with work by established and emerging teams that are helping to set new directions for British graphic design today. These designers include Peter Saville, Neville Brody, Why Not Associates, The Designers Republic, Tomato, Fuel, Graphic Thought Facility, Kerr Noble, and Abake.

After its opening in Shanghai, the exhibition will move on to Chongqing in July and Beijing in September 2005. For more detailed information about this tour, contact Alison Moloney. Full information on the contents of the exhibition is also available on our Communicate Details page.