CREATIVE BLOCKS celebrates the history of graphic design by showing how design trends and styles have influenced Baltimore’s history. The undergraduate and graduate students of Professor Lauren Smedley’s History of Graphic Design course (University of Baltimore, Fall 2023) curated a collection of artifacts to reveal how the dual histories of Baltimore and graphic design are intertwined. The collection is as diverse as the city it represents — logos, posters, signage, typography, publications and ephemera that have been created to promote the institutions that make up Charm City.
To develop the collection, each student was tasked with identifying and researching a Baltimore-related artifact that they wished to honor as part of the canon of Baltimore graphic design history. Each student chose an artifact that appealed to their individual interest, meaning this exhibit not only documents Baltimore’s design history but provides insights into the current interests of UBalt design students.