Abstract

Design and Curation of the GF Smith Heritage Show at the University of Ulster, Belfast Campus, May 2010. A touring exhibition of classic paper promotion design from the GF Smith archive.Launched at the Edinburgh School of Art in October 2009, the tour commenced in January at The Glasgow School of Art, and continued to tour the countries leading Universities throughout 2010. The Belfast Campus was the venue of a curated showcase and launch talk in May 2010.For over a hundred years GFSmith has consistently worked with the best graphic designers, photographers and artists. These collaborations have resulted in a catalogue of truly groundbreaking and iconic promotional materials.The event was a retrospective of that body of work and a rare chance to study this visual story of extraordinary design and marketing innovation. Showcasing material which encompasses both European and American promotions, featuring work from contributors such as Saul Bass, Milton Glaser, Paul Rand, Bill McKay and SEA Design and verifying the cultural and commercial significance of visual communication in society as part of an ongoing archive that contributes to our understanding of this role with reference to visual heritage in national and global contexts.