David King (30 April 1943 – 11 May 2016) was a British graphic designer, design historian, and writer, who assembled one of the largest collections of Soviet graphics and photographs. From this collection, he created a series of books covering the history of the Russian Revolution and its associated art and propaganda. In addition to Soviet-era photographs, posters, and other materials, his collection included items related to the Spanish Civil War, Maoist China, the Weimar Republic, and American labour organizations. King, a "leftist with Trotskyist leanings", in particular collected photographs and ephemera related to Leon Trotsky, who was extensively doctored out of revolutionary photographs and records under Josef Stalin's regime.
King worked at The Sunday Times Magazine as a designer and art editor. His design work also extended to album covers for artists like Jimi Hendrix; book covers radical and progressive publishers, including Allison and Busby and Earthscan Publications; and graphics for political causes he supported, such as the Anti-Apartheid Movement. He is the creator of the Anti-Nazi League's red-and-yellow logo. King described his work as an attempt "to create a visual style for the left."
Early life and education
King was born in 1943 in Isleworth Hundred, Middlesex. His father Stanley was a bank manager. The family lived in northwest London, in South Kenton and then in Northwood.
King attended University College School, then studied typography at the London School of Printing and Graphic Arts (now the London College of Communication), from which he graduated in 1963. He was taught by several notable designers, including Tom Eckersley, Richard Hollis and Robin Fior. Fior, who designed for the magazines Peace News and International Socialism, was a particularly strong influence. He introduced King to Soviet Constructivist revolutionary graphics and political art and to the work of John Heartfield, both important influences on King's later work as a designer and visual historian. Fior also introduced King to the typeface Franklin Gothic Bold, which King used extensively in his later designs. As a student, King assisted Fior with his poster work for the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) and on the design of the magazine Peace News.
Career
After graduating from the London College of Printing (renamed from the London School of Printing and Graphic Arts) in 1963, King worked as an art assistant on the magazine Queen and then for the advertising agency Stratton & Wolsey. In 1965, King joined the staff of The Sunday Times Magazine, where he collaborated with art director Michael Rand to transform the magazine's visual identity. While working on a feature for The Sunday Times in 1970, King made his first trip to the Soviet Union to collect materials on Vladimir Lenin, which were plentiful. However, he was unable to find any materials related to Leon Trotsky, despite Trotsky's importance during the Russian Revolution. King, who admired Trotsky, then began to collect his photographs and memorabilia to counteract the suppression of his image under Stalin. He uncovered many unknown images of Trotsky, and in 1972, he published his first book, Trotsky: A Documentary, with text by the Sunday Times writer Francis Wyndham.
While at The Sunday Times, King also worked as a freelance graphic designer in the record business, designing covers for The Who Sell Out, The Crazy World of Arthur Brown, and Axis: Bold as Love. His design for the 1968 Jimi Hendrix album Electric Ladyland generated controversy as it featured a David Montgomery photograph of 19 nude women, which King intended as a contrast to the image of women found in Playboy magazine. The photo was considered too risqué for the US edition of the album and was replaced by a picture of Hendrix. King, a self-taught photographer, additionally documented the training sessions of Muhammad Ali before his 1974 match with George Foreman. In 1975, the photographs were published in I Am King: A Photographic Biography of Muhammad Ali.
In the 1970s, King created posters and graphics for many political groups, including the Anti-Apartheid Movement and the National Union of Journalists. He originated the red-and-yellow arrow logo for the Anti-Nazi League and designed posters for Rock Against Racism concerts and marches. He also designed book covers for radical and progressive publishers, including Allison and Busby and Earthscan Publications, as well as for mainstream publishers, such as Penguin Books.