Unit of Assessment 32B
Art and Design: Typography and Graphic Communication

Our submission to Unit of Assessment 32B encompasses the Research Division for Typography & Graphic Communication which has a distinctive identity in the history, theory, and practice of ‘design for reading’ including information design, book and document design, graphic design, and typeface design. We collaborate globally with universities, industry partners, professional associations and NGOs.

• Top 10 in UK for Grade Point Average (research quality).
• Ranked 8th in UK for impact.
• 92% of our research outputs rated 4* (world-leading) and 3* (internationally excellent).
• 95% of our research overall rated 4* (world-leading) and 3* (internationally excellent).

Our information design research is concerned with making complex information clear – in words and in pictures – with the needs of users in mind. We engage in cross-disciplinary research where ‘design for reading’ is integral to successful outcomes (e.g. an antimicrobial resistance communication project with pharmacy and architecture).

Our research in type design has global relevance and we have particular expertise in non-Latin typeface design that contributes to the development of resources that enable computer-based texts for diverse communities. These applications have stemmed from our close study of historic letterforms and long-standing collaborations with industry.

We are recognised as a centre of excellence for research in letterform and type design history, graphic design, and the history of printing processes, including lithography and stencilling. Our co-directorship of the Centre for Book Cultures and Publishing, one of the University’s interdisciplinary research centres, extends the reach of this work.

Much staff and doctoral research is underpinned by our Lettering, Printing and Graphic Design Collections which are regarded as being of international importance, and are supported with strategic funding from the University.

Staff and doctoral students

We submitted 13 staff (10.2 FTE) to REF2021, including 6 professors, 3 associate professors, 1 lecturer, 1 Senior Research Fellow and 2 independent Research Fellows.

Over the assessment period there were 20 doctoral completions, and we are proud to host a lively and engaged doctoral research community. In 2019/20 our students came from 18 countries, including the UK. We lead the AHRC-funded Design Star Centre for Doctoral Training with Brighton, Goldsmiths, Loughborough and the Open University.

Collaboration and partnerships

Our work in information design involves collaboration with Parliamentary Digital Services, Department for Work & Pensions, the Met Office, Environment Agency, the Royal Berkshire Hospital, the Oxford Academic Health Science Network, Southampton Clinical Commissioning Group, and HM Prisons Service.

Our work on design in digital reading and typeface design has led to collaboration with Tsinghua University in China, and Google and Harvard University Press in the USA, while research within our Centre for Ephemera Studies has led to partnerships with the John Johnson Collection at the Bodleian Library and with Université Cergy Pontoise.

Sector recognition

Selected examples of national and international recognition between 2014 and 2020:

• Society of Typographic Aficionados (SOTA Typography Award 2014): presented to Professor Fiona Ross
• Type Directors’ Club TDC Medal (2017 and 2018): awarded to the late Professor Gerard Unger and Professor Fiona Ross for distinguished contributions to the fields of typeface design and education.
• Antibiotic Guardian award (2020) awarded to Professor Sue Walker for her work on communicating information about antibiotic resistance in Rwanda.

Examples of the impact our research has had at local, national and global levels.