Ian Mitchell
Liverpool School of Art and Design
Faculty of Arts Professional and Social Studies
Email: I.Mitchell@ljmu.ac.uk
Telephone: 0151 904 1172
Updates and news from the Graphic Design and Illustration programme
Research portfolio
Programme imprint
ORCID
Before joining Liverpool School of Art & Design, Ian worked as an animator and multimedia designer with Roy Stringer; a highly influential multimedia visionary, at Amaze Ltd, and was a founding member of 1990s typography collective known as Beaufonts.
Since becoming a lecturer in 1998, Ian has exhibited and published works both nationally and internationally. Most notably Chinese Whispers – a unique experiment to create a family of fonts designed collaboratively by international participants through the generative online process of chinese whispers. The project featured on Creative Review's first DVD Rom ‘Creative Review DVD01’ in 2001, and subsequently in numerous design and typography books and journals. His films and typographic animations have been screened in New York, Seattle, San Francisco and Berlin.
In 2008, he became Programme Leader of Graphic Design and Illustration. Since then his ongoing research has explored how the boundaries of the typographic form have been, and can still be, expanded by moving image, interactive media and emerging technologies.
Elements of this research have been applied within a professional context in collaboration with with a number of North West design agencies developing typefaces for communication campaigns such as Tate Liverpool’s Picasso Peace + Freedom exhibition.
In 2012 he curated re–Type, an exhibition of experimental type design. The exhibition formed a snapshot of the typography and design work produced from the research, practice and teaching taking place in and around the Graphic Design and Illustration programme at LJMU.
Most recently he developed TYPuzzle - a table-top animated type puzzle game recently installed in FACT’s Development Lab for their Type Motion exhibition.
Degrees
1994, Liverpool John Moores University, United Kingdom, BA (Hons)
Academic appointments
Senior Lecturer, Graphic Design and Illustration, Liverpool John Moores University, 2019 - present
Programme Leader, Graphic Design and Illustration, Liverpool John Moores University, 2008 - 2119
Lecturer / Senior Lecturer, Multimedia Arts / Graphic Arts, Liverpool John Moores University, 1998 - 2008
Books (authored)
Mitchell I. 2024. Common.otf Mitchell I. Studio Editions. Liverpool 978-0-9930113-6-8 Author Url Publisher Url
Mitchell I. 2020. Someone Somewhere Document Your Culture Mitchell I. Studio Editions. Liverpool 978-0-9930113-4-4 Author Url Publisher Url
Mitchell I. 2018. I Don’t Love Soccer Because Soccer Has Never Loved Me 2018 Exhibition Catalogue Mitchell I. Studio Editions. Liverpool 978-0-9930113-3-7 Author Url Publisher Url
Mitchell I. 2017. Exit : 2016 Fuxit Studio Editions 9780993011313 Author Url Publisher Url Public Url
Design
Mitchell I. 2023. Disco Love Blueprint poster Author Url Publisher Url
Mitchell I. 2022. Common.otf Author Url Publisher Url Public Url
Mitchell I. 2021. Acid House Love Blueprint: Liverpool - Special Edition for Museum of Liverpool Author Url Publisher Url
Mitchell I. 2021. Blackburn Love Blueprint - Special Edition for Rough Trade Books Author Url Publisher Url
Mitchell I. 2020. Someone Somewhere Document Your Culture. Publisher Url
Mitchell I. 2019. TYPuzzle web application Author Url Publisher Url Public Url
Mitchell I, Quail J. 2019. ClubTogether Author Url
Mitchell I, Quail J. 2018. Acid House Love Blueprint poster Author Url Publisher Url
Mitchell I. 2014. La Historia Paralela Publisher Url
Mitchell I. 2013. Life of Type - motion typeface and short film Author Url Publisher Url
Mitchell I, Sharp T. 2012. Theatre Peckham co-creation typeface Author Url Publisher Url
Mitchell I, Quail J. 2010. Picasso Peace + Freedom typeface Author Url Publisher Url
Mitchell I. 2006. Project 7090 Author Url Publisher Url
Conference publication
Mitchell I. 2022. Resisting the Algorithm or Chart-junk? Field mapping cultural history using visual metaphor Ceccarelli N. Department of Architecture, Design and Planning (DADU), University of Sassari, in Alghero, Sardinia, Italy, 2CO3: Communicating Complexity Author Url Publisher Url Public Url
Mitchell I. 2020. Infographics: Absent Without Leave Ceccarelli N. 2CO: communicating complexity 2017, 2CO COmmunicating COmplexity 2017 :59-68 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url
Mitchell I. TYPuzzle – A Physical Typographic Game 7th International Conference on Typography & Visual Communication Publisher Url
Chapters
Mitchell I. 2017. Isotype – sacred cow or valuable lesson from the past? Ceccarelli N. I.P. INFORMANIMATION 2013: research, education and design experiences :24-33 FrancoAngeli. Italy 978-88-917-5138-6 Author Url Publisher Url
Mitchell I. 2014. Motion Typography – Text, Time and the Screen Ceccarelli N, Turri C. IP Inform.animation 2012 Research, Education and Design Experiences Franco Angeli. Milan 9788891711786 Author Url Publisher Url
Internet publication
Mitchell I. 2015. TYPuzzle a typographic game - typuzzle.co.uk Author Url Publisher Url Public Url
Mitchell I. 2014. World Cup Clichés: Graphic Design’s Approach To Football Publisher Url Public Url
Artefact
Jackson CS. 2014. I Don’t Love Soccer Because Soccer Has Never Loved Me
Mitchell I. 2011. Futureproofing Author Url
Journal article
Mitchell I. 2012. Authority or Cliché? The Graphic Language of Information Design Turri C. :22-49 Author Url Publisher Url
Mitchell I. 2009. The Shape for Sounds Shook K. Times Higher Education, :53-53 Author Url Publisher Url
Mitchell I. Authority or Cliché? The Graphic Language of Information Design Turri C. Inform.Animation 2011, :22-49 Author Url Publisher Url
Performance
Mitchell I, Garside C. To Fife and Back Author Url Publisher Url
Exhibition
Mitchell I. re–Type: exhibition of typographic disobedience Author Url
Mitchell I. TYPuzzle at FACT Author Url Publisher Url
Mitchell I, Quail J. ClubTogether Author Url Publisher Url
Mitchell I. 'Spot the Girl' - I Don't Love Soccer Because Soccer Has Never Loved Me. Author Url Publisher Url
Parke L, Jones M, Spencer J, Mitchell I, Garside C, Judd H, Jackson C. Ride Your Pony 2, Part of Liverpool Independents Biennial Author Url
Mitchell I. Molecular
Mitchell I, Jackson C, Spencer J. I Don't Love Soccer Because Soccer Has Never Loved Me Publisher Url Public Url
Spencer J, Mitchell I. I Don’t Love Soccer Because Soccer Has Never Loved Me
Mitchell I. I Don't Love Soccer Because Soccer Has Never Loved Me 2018 Author Url Publisher Url Public Url
Mitchell I. DISCONNECTIONS Author Url Publisher Url
Conference organisation:
2CO everday, Curator, http://2coconference.org/everyday/. 2018
2CO Communicating Complexity 2017 Tenerife, Spain, Member of the scientific board. Speaker., http://2coconference.org/2017/. 2017
2CO Communicating Complexity 2013, Member of the scientific board. Chair of the info-graphic programme., http://2coconference.org/2013/. 2013
Membership of professional bodies:
Member of Graphic Design Educators' Network, Graphic Design Educators' Network, http://www.graphicdesigneducators.network/. 2015
External collaboration:
Domus Academy, Milan, External examiner for validation of MA Visual Brand Design. 2012
http://www.informanimation.eu/, Alghero School of Architecture, University of Sassari, Erasmus Intensive Program (IP) 'InformAnimation'. 2012