An extensive exhibition of the work of Abram Games opens at the Jewish Museum in London next month, marking the centenary of his birth and celebrating both his Jewish heritage and his immense contribution to British design.
‘Maximum Meaning, Minimum Means’, was the maxim of Abram Games, one of the 20th century’s most inventive and iconic graphic designers. Games’ inspired approach to design saw him (with unprecedented clarity) pair down a message to its simplest and most powerful form.
Throughout a remarkable career spanning over 60 years, Games produced numerous posters, advertisements, stamps and logos, including those for The Financial Times, the BBC, British Airways, Guinness, London Transport, Shell, the United Nations, and El Al airline.
He also designed book covers for Penguin Books and, in 1951, the Festival of Britain emblem. Games' international stature was confirmed in 1958 when he was awarded an OBE, followed in 1959 by his appointment as Royal Designer for Industry (RDI).
To celebrate the 100th anniversary of his birth (Games was born the day after the beginning of the First World War), The Jewish Museum London, in conjunction with Games
’ children, Naomi and Daniel, will exhibit Designing the 20th Century: Life and Work of Abram Games, exploring his immigrant roots, his Jewish upbringing and his extraordinary contribution to British design.
Designing the 20th Century: Life and Work of Abram Games
8 September 2014 – 4 January 2015
www.jewishmuseum.org.uk/abramgames