Pat Keely, UK

AGI member since 1952

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Mostly self-taught, Patrick Cokayne Keely was a distinguished poster designer. Before WW2 he created posters for London Transport, the Southern Railway, the Post Offi ce and British Aluminium Co. During the war, Keely, like Tom Eckersley, George Him, Jan Lewitt and many others, worked for ROSPA, designing posters for accident prevention. He used rich colours, which was rather unusual for that time. His poster Lookout in the Blackout (1940) was issued by the Ministry of War Transport and was one in a series in a campaign to reduce the number of accidents in the blackout. He used only a few objects or symbols that resulted in a strong impact and visual message. Keely said: ‘Deliver a message in shorthand, which is nevertheless understandable to everybody.’ He was a member of the Society of Industrial Artists. Part of his work is kept in the National Archives, London.

Design work by Pat Keely


    Pat Keely, UK (1952)

    Mostly self-taught, Patrick Cokayne Keely was a distinguished poster designer. Before WW2 he created posters for London Transport, the Southern Railway, the Post Office and British Aluminium Co. During the...

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    Pat Keely, UK (1952)

    Mostly self-taught, Patrick Cokayne Keely was a distinguished poster designer. Before WW2 he created posters for London Transport, the Southern Railway, the Post Offi ce and British Aluminium Co. During the war, Keely, like Tom Eckersley, George Him, Jan Lewitt and many others, worked for ROSPA, designing posters for accident prevention. He used rich colours, which was rather unusual for that time. His poster Lookout in the Blackout (1940) was issued by the Ministry of War Transport and was one in a series in a campaign to reduce the number of accidents in the blackout. He used only a few objects or symbols that resulted in a strong impact and visual message. Keely said: ‘Deliver a message in shorthand, which is nevertheless understandable to everybody.’ He was a member of the Society of Industrial Artists. Part of his work is kept in the National Archives, London.