Untold stories of graphic design in N.B. revealed in new book, exhibit

From posters to tourism brochures and company logos, a new book from Fredericton designer Tanya Duffy tells a story of New Brunswick through graphic design, marketing and advertising. 

Duffy spent six years researching and writing Pursuing the New: A Modern Graphic Design History of New Brunswick. She's also collaborated on a new exhibit at the Beaverbrook Art Gallery.  

Duffy said she hopes bringing this history to the forefront will elevate design in New Brunswick’s economy. 

“I’m hoping that through looking at this book and realizing how impactful some of these images are, design should not be taken as an afterthought.” 

John Leroux, art historian, and former curator at the Beaverbrook Art Gallery, described Duffy’s book and the exhibit as “deeply significant.” 

“This is the first full exhibition that the Beaverbrook has ever done on modern graphic design,” he said.

“It’s something that New Brunswick has never really looked at … looking introspectively at its own social, cultural and economic history and how it's expressed through graphic design.” 

Leroux said graphic design has only recently been defined as a fine art, and it offers a perspective into how New Brunswick has evolved and has been viewed in the world. 

He said many who consume the book and the exhibit can expect to feel some nostalgia as they take in the album covers, children’s books, sports jerseys, business signs and logos, some still in use today.

Duffy said the idea for the design book came about when she saw the NBTel logo created in the mid-1960s while doing research for another project.

Instead of the bell on its old logo, this newer version has lines throughout it to represent interconnectivity and the company's growth. The company was no longer just about telephones, but about telecommunications.

“It struck me as so familiar and so iconic, but I had forgotten about it,” Duffy told Information Morning Saint John. 

Duffy discovered the logo was created by Montreal-based designer Ernst Roch, who was internationally renowned.

“I thought it was amazing that he did work here in New Brunswick, how come we don’t know about this?” 

That’s when she began diving deeper to find other graphic designs from the province and found there were many with interesting backgrounds that hadn’t yet been documented. 

Duffy said she spent a lot of time at the Provincial Archives of New Brunswick during this time. 

“I would go in with a list of things I wanted to look up and then they would bring out treasure troves of documentation, and then it would lead to more and more and more stuff,” she said.

She also explored older publications, such as the Atlantic Advocate, where New Brunswick companies would advertise.

In Telegraph-Journal newspaper archives, Duffy was able to find articles on graphic designers, and she interviewed families who were involved in logo stories. 

“I got invited into people’s homes, I got to go through boxes of their parents’ or their grandparents’ stuff that had been tucked away and got access to all kinds of interesting projects,” she said.

A Saint John-based design studio called Stackhouse Studios grabbed her attention. 

“They actually created a ton of iconic design work, some that is actually still around today,” she said. 

Owned by designer Jim Stackhouse, Stackhouse Studios was responsible for the Saint John Harbour Bridge logo and Rocca Construction. 

Duffy said finding out that celebrated U.S. painter and illustrator Norman Rockwell was involved in designing New Brunswick logos was another highlight of her research. 

“He created a whole series of paintings for Red Rose Tea in the '50s, so that was a very interesting find,” she said, “Those images are just so familiar and iconic.” 

The Beaverbrook Art Gallery exhibit featuring Duffy’s findings will run until April 12.