An exhibition of National Theatre posters and programmes from the Lettering, Printing and Graphic Design Collections that focuses on the contrasting design styles of Ken Briggs and Richard Bird – from structurally precise modernist typography to dramatically expressive illustration.

Curated by Rick Poynor

17 November 2025 to 13 February 2026
Monday to Wednesday, 10 am to 4 pm

Group visits by appointment: lpgdc@reading.ac.uk

About the exhibition

Theatre posters require a gift for graphic distillation. A complex drama unfolding dynamically over two or three hours must be expressed in a single static image. The aim is to excite the viewer’s attention with bold and arresting imagery and typography while delivering necessary information about the production and venue.

The National Theatre has been at the centre of British cultural life since the early 1960s. Poster design at the NT has a history of remarkable commitment and consistency. In the theatre’s early years – the focus of this exhibition – two designers, Ken Briggs (1931–2013) and Richard Bird (1948–93), each held the position of poster designer for more than a decade. Their styles represent alternative ways of interpreting the theatrical image and expressing the identity of the theatre itself. Briggs’ work, influenced by the Swiss Style of typography, is structurally precise and the poster is conceived as a document of the performance. Bird was a versatile image-maker and lettering artist and his later conception of the poster’s purpose is much more illustrative and subjective. Both designers enjoyed considerable freedom to determine the theatre’s graphic identity and direction.

The exhibition, drawn from an extensive group of National Theatre posters in the Lettering, Printing and Graphic Design Collections, investigates and contrasts these two perspectives with a rich selection of examples. The posters are supplemented by a selection of elaborate NT programmes, which were carefully edited and inventively designed to support the theatregoer’s experience of the play.

Installation

Credits

Curator: Rick Poynor
Curatorial support: Emma Minns
Designer: Eric Kindel
Production support: Creative & Print Services, Geoff Wyeth