Victoria & Albert museum

Alan G. Fletcher

The brief from Victoria & Albert museum stipulated that the design should only comprise three characters (V&A) and be functional, dateless, memorable and appropriate. The letters were selected for their elegance and historical importance. By removing a leg of the A and tucking it up to the ampersand, the mark achieves a unique configuration without loss of legibility. The commission also included a sign system for the museum. Collaborator: Quentin Newark. Thanks to alanfletcherarchive.com

Images of Victoria & Albert museum

  1. Image 1 — Alan-Fletcher 1990-VA-logo-in-square 170909 (Victoria & Albert museum)
  2. Image 2 — VA-1 (Victoria & Albert museum)
  3. Image 3 — VA-2 (Victoria & Albert museum)

    Alan G. Fletcher, UK (1966)

    Synthesising the graphic traditions of Europe and North America to develop a spirited, witty and very personal visual style, Alan Fletcher is among the most influential figures in British graphic...

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    The brief from Victoria & Albert museum stipulated that the design should only comprise three characters (V&A) and be functional, dateless, memorable and appropriate. The letters were selected for their elegance and historical importance. By removing a leg of the A and tucking it up to the ampersand, the mark achieves a unique configuration without loss of legibility. The commission also included a sign system for the museum. Collaborator: Quentin Newark. Thanks to alanfletcherarchive.com

    • Client:

    • Victoria & Albert museum
    • Sector:

    • Countries:

    • Disciplines:

    • Details:

    • Lettering
    • Logo
    • Typography

    Alan Fletcher is among the most influential figures in British graphic design as a founder of Fletcher/Forbes/Gill in the 1960s and Pentagram in the 1970s. He helped to establish a model of combining commercial partnership with creative independence, developed some of the most memorable graphic schemes of the era, notably the identities of Reuters and the Victoria & Albert Museum, and made his mark on book design as creative director of Phaidon.

    Publications

    plus

    Picturing and Poeting

    (2006)

    Phaidon

    The Art of Looking Sideways

    (2001)

    Phaidon

    Beware Wet Paint

    (1996)

    Phaidon

    A sign systems manual

    (1970)

    • Theo Crosby,
    • Alan Fletcher,
    • Colin Forbes

    Studio Vista

    A book about the signing system Crosby/Fletcher/Forbes devised for the liner QE2.

    Graphic design: visual comparisons

    (1963)

    • Alan Fletcher,
    • Colin Forbes,
    • Bob Gill

    Part of a series of volumes for the Royal College of Art – ‘Graphic Design: visual comparisons’ by Fletcher/Forbes/Gill, ‘Typography: basic principles, influences and trends’ by John Lewis and ‘Basic Design: the dynamics of visual form’ by Maurice de Sausmarez.

    Exhibitions

    plus

    Ten years of 'The Art of Looking Sideways' by Alan Fletcher

    2011

    The Window Gallery, Central Saint Martins, London

    To mark the tenth anniversary 'The Art of Looking Sideways' at his alma mater – Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in London – original artwork, preparatory materials and copies of the book are showcased in the Window Gallery on Charing Cross Road. Kindly supported by Phaidon Press and Vitsoe.

    Alan Fletcher: Fifty years of graphic work (and play)

    2010

    CUBE Gallery, Manchester

    This was the first time that Manchester and beyond saw such a vast and important retrospective archive celebrating fifty years of the designer’s work (and play). This comprehensive exhibition included original sketches, posters, objects and archive footage spanning Fletcher’s work from his student days at the RCA to the playful and more personal work he created after leaving Pentagram in 1992.

    Felt Tip

    2006

    Sea Gallery, London

    Thirty of the most talented designers and illustrators were invited to create an artwork using very simple materials – a sheet of A1 premium paper from GF Smith and a set of Tria Markers from Letraset. The aim was to create an opportunity where designers could step away from their computers and create a piece of work that required them to interact physically with their materials. Alan Fletcher named his poster 'Observations on art'.

    Alan Fletcher: Fifty years of graphic work (and play)

    2006

    Design Museum, London

    The Design Museum presented his first retrospective including his commercial work for Penguin, Reuters and Shell, alongside more personal projects in lettering, collage and illustration. It celebrated the remarkable life and work of this influential figure of British graphic design.

    26 Letters: Illuminating the Alphabet

    2004

    British Library, London

    In 2004, the writing group 26 and the International Society of Typographic Designers joined forces to explore the DNA of language. Twenty-six business writers were randomly paired with twenty-six graphic designers, given one letter each and asked to create a collaborative work that celebrated, explored, questioned, elucidated or subverted that letter. The resulting exhibition was displayed throughout the British Library as part of the London Design Festival.

    Agencies

    plus
    • Pentagram

      1972 – 1992

    • Crosby Fletcher Forbes

      1965 – 1972

    • Fletcher Forbes Gill

      1962 – 1965