ArtReview's 1951 Archive: Peter Reyner-Banham on Pub Design and the Courage Campaign

Amidst contemporary uncertainties, ArtReview revisits its archives from 1951, spotlighting a column by Peter Reyner-Banham published in January of that year. In his piece for Art News and Review, Reyner-Banham explored the transformation of traditional pubs in post-war Britain through modern design. He highlighted the Architectural Review Pub Design Competition, which encountered resistance from conservative factions, and discussed the Courage brewery's redesign initiative spearheaded by designer Milner Gray of Design Research Unit. Gray developed a new typeface that fused Eric Gill's Perpetua with Egyptian styles and standardized the Courage symbol. The campaign sought to modernize pub equipment while respecting tradition, and Reyner-Banham commended its aesthetic and practical elements. The original article was featured in Volume 2, no. 26 of Art News and Review, published in January 1951, six years post-World War II.