Design Museum Archive
Recently, the Design Museum in London had the privilege of adding Romek Marber’s work to its collection in recognition of his lifelong achievements in graphic design. The collection is a record of important designs that have had an impact on the way we live today, and Marber’s work was selected for its strikingly bold and personal approach at a time when graphic design in Britain was seen as somewhat prim and timid.
Marber is rightly recognised for his work for Penguin, and for developing the ‘Marber grid’ that transformed the look of Penguin Books in the 1960s, but his designs for other clients – from manufacturers and magazines, to publishers and film-makers – are equally arresting. With their no-nonsense use of typography, confident approach to illustration, and experimental use of photography, Marber’s work has lost little of its visual impact and stands as a striking testament of the way in which design can move us.
Dr. Tom Wilson
Head of Collections, the Design Museum
