Justin Burns

Recent articles by Justin Burns

Fading into significance

Issue 103, Summer 2022

Review

Faded advertising signs are more widespread than we think. Ghost Signs: A London Story explores the…

Seaside splendour

Issue 101, Summer 2021

Review

Eclectic, yet streamlined by design. It is perhaps unsurprising that Art Deco is associated with…

Recent blog posts about Justin Burns

Waves of popularity

17 December 2020
Design history, Graphic design, Illustration, Typography, Visual culture

Graphic Design plays a key role in the re-emergence of Britain’s much-loved coastal resorts. The seventh and final instalment of Justin Burns’s series about seaside graphic design
The tide comes in. The tide goes out. The seaside is, by its very nature…

Sea, sky, paint and pattern

29 October 2020
Design history, Graphic design, Illustration, Typography, Visual culture

Rich, decorative patterns shape our experience of the British seaside. The sixth in Justin Burns’s series on coastal graphic design
Patterns and decoration have long informed the design of seaside architecture – promenades, amusements, hotels…

Artificial sunshine

4 September 2020
Design history, Graphic design, Photography, Typography, Visual culture

Illuminated lettering signals entertainment and escapism by the sea. The fifth in Justin Burns’s series about coastal graphic design
If we take away the bright lights is there a place? The Blackpool Illuminations first…

Pier review

20 July 2020
Design history, Graphic design, Photography, Typography, Visual culture

Decorative typography and lettering evoke the halcyon days of the British seaside. The fourth in Justin Burns’s series about coastal graphic design
Lettering, typography, and accentuated three-dimensional signs dominate the British coast, writes Justin Burns. The bright…

Books of seaside revelations

3 June 2020
Book design, Design history, Graphic design, Illustration, Visual culture

Guidebooks have enticed visitors to resorts since the nineteenth century. The third in Justin Burns’s series about coastal graphic design in the UK
For decades, the guidebook has navigated visitors through the bright lights of the seaside, showcasing…

Are we there yet?

27 April 2020
Design history, Graphic design, Illustration, Posters, Visual culture

In the second instalment of Eye’s online series about graphic design at the UK seaside, Justin Burns navigates the history of the travel poster
The Bank Holiday, a very British institution, was first introduced in 1871, allowing workers an…

Resorting to type

16 April 2020
Design education, Design history, Graphic design, Typography

In the first of a new series of Eye blog posts, Justin Burns explores the graphic language of the British seaside
Walk along the promenade and we are met with the sounds, smells and signs that…