Dazzling first UK show featuring leading designer Ivan Chermayeff opens

It’s not a flawless guide, but you can often tell how significant the subject of an exhibition is based on who writes the foreword in the show’s catalogue. That Milton Glaser contributed an essay for Ivan Chermayeff: Cut and Paste at The De La Warr Pavilion is a good guide that if you’re interested in graphic design, he’s a name with which you should be familiar.

This is though Ivan’s first ever UK solo exhibition, bringing together his collages, illustrations, posters, publications and identity work – the Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv studio he co-founded produced work for the likes of Chase Manhattan bank, MoMA and the Smithsonian. His book watching words move became an important resource for graphic designers interested in playing with traditional type formats and his sense of fun (allied with technical brilliance) shines through across the work on display.

The setting is particularly relevant as Ivan’s dad Serge designed the modernist masterpiece down on the south coast of England where the show takes place. In a nice extra touch, Ivan’s son Sam has designed this exhibition along with his partner Johanna Meyer-Grohbrugge.

Ivan Chermayeff: Cut and Paste at The De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill, runs until 14 September.