Timeline

1980

Peter Grundy and Tilly Northedge met at the Royal College of Art in the late 70s where they became interested in a visual communication that explained rather than sold things. In 1980 they started a studio doing information design in a new and creative way, which they called Grundy & Northedge.

1982

The humble basic communication of information has never had the glamour of other areas of design. The creation of a poster casts the designer as an artist. Bringing into being corporate identity for some giant multinational company showcase the designer as a business strategist. But the design of a map for a housing project or a set of instructions for how to tie a bow tie - what sort of designer does jobs like these? -Hugh Aldersley-Williams

1990

‘Peter Grundy and Tilly Northedge took a conscious decision to work on the design of material that would be instructive, informative and educational, rather than focus on the seduction of the consumer by the forces of marketing’. -Deyan Sudjic

1992

PG and TN exchange a set of Kern drawing instruments and a geometry set for an Apple computer and Adobe Illustrator 1. The transition is visually seamless, reinforcing the notion that at the core of the G&N philosophy are ideas, not style.

‘Having worked side by side or back to front for the past ten years there are considerable areas of overlap; sometimes even their friends are unable to say for sure where Grundy stops and Northedge starts.’ -Alastair Best

1996

‘In this year we started working in the USA. We had tried to work abroad before, but this involved posting or delivering art, which often got damaged or lost. Then all of a sudden came along the internet, meaning communication was simpler, then hey presto you could attach artwork to emails and everything changed’. -Peter Grundy

1998

Publications in the USA for The World Bank, United Nations and World Health Organisation and numerous other ‘not for profit’ institutions.

2006

In 2006 Peter Grundy started Grundini, a year later his book Grundini set out the terms, a series of five themes explored with uncompromised individuality thus defining the new era, venturing beyond information and into brand and advertising. Anywhere in fact where the complex and perplex needed explaining by simple, elegant, visual messages and ideas.

2007

2011

PG starts the ball rolling on a new website, Grundini and asks friend and creative director James Beveridge to take on the project. The team includes; Ben Clarke, Sam Older, Jasper Manchipp and Lewis Barclay

2012

‘While Grundy may be a master of organising data he’s also an advocate of experimentation and ambiguity. Defining his approach as ‘joining illustrative and typographical work into information design’. In the next breath he maintains his output is difficult to classify. -Liz Farrelly

2015

Peter Grundy travels back in time and says hello to his old tutors at the Royal College of Art, School of Graphic Design retrospective exhibition. Left to right, Margaret Calvert, Lou Klein, Douglas Coyne and David Tuhill.

2016

‘In 1973 my drawing tutor told me, It takes 40 years to create a style. Guess this must be it.’ -Peter Grundy