Ken Garland is notable as a British graphic designer, author and game designer. Garland established Ken Garland Associates in 1962.

Garland studied design at London's Central School of Arts and Crafts

Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design

Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design is a constituent college of the University of the Arts London. The school has an outstanding international reputation, and is considered one of the world's leading art and design institutions...

 in the early 1950s (at a time when Alan Fletcher

Alan Fletcher

Alan Fletcher is an Australian actor and musician, best known for his role as Karl Kennedy in long-running soap opera Neighbours. Fletcher was educated at Wesley College, Perth.-Career:...

 and other later-prominent designers were also students). http://www.emigre.com/Editorial.php?sect=1&id=13 In November 1963 Garland authored the First Things First

First things first 1964 Manifesto

The First Things First manifesto was written 29 November 1963 and published in 1964 by Ken Garland. It was backed by over 400 graphic designers and artists and also received the backing of Tony Benn, radical left-wing MP and activist, who published it in its entirety in the Guardian...

manifesto which advocated "in favour of the more useful and more lasting forms of communication" over the increasing overuse of design talent in advertising. http://www.xs4all.nl/~maxb/ftf1964.htm
The manifesto was signed by 21 others. In January 1964, the manifesto was reprinted by Tony Benn

Tony Benn

Anthony Neil Wedgwood "Tony" Benn, PC is a British Labour Party politician and a former MP and Cabinet Minister.His successful campaign to renounce his hereditary peerage was instrumental in the creation of the Peerage Act 1963...

 in his column in The Guardian

The Guardian

The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...

. http://www.emigre.com/Editorial.php?sect=1&id=13 As a result, Garland was invited onto the BBC

BBC

The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...

 to read a section of the manifesto. The manifesto was subsequently reprinted by many design publications in Britain and later internationally. In the spirit of Garland's 1964 manifesto, a prominent group of 23 designers, including Garland, produced and signed the First Things First 2000 manifesto

First things first 2000 Manifesto

The First Things First 2000 manifesto, launched by Adbusters magazine in 1999, was an updated version of the earlier First Things First manifesto written and published in 1964 by Ken Garland, a British designer....

.

In addition to his output in graphic design, Garland has produced many articles for design publications. http://www.kengarland.co.uk/KG%20published%20writing/ He is the author of the 1994 book, Mr. Beck's Underground Map. http://www.kengarland.co.uk/KGA%20graphic%20design/capital%20transport/index.html The University of Reading

University of Reading

The University of Reading is a university in the English town of Reading, Berkshire. The University was established in 1892 as University College, Reading and received its Royal Charter in 1926. It is based on several campuses in, and around, the town of Reading.The University has a long tradition...

 published a collection of Garland's writings as A Word in Your Eye http://www.kengarland.co.uk/KGA%20graphic%20design/university%20of%20reading/index.html In 2001 Baseline

Baseline (magazine)

Baseline magazine is a magazine devoted to typography, book arts and graphic design.-History:Since Baseline 19, which appeared in 1995, Baseline has been published by Bradbourne Publishing, co-edited by Mike Daines and Hans Dieter Reichert and art-directed by HDR Visual Communication. It is...

produced a collection of Garland's photography as a book called Metaphors.

Garland is the designer of several games including Connect

Connect (game)

Connect is a game consisting of square card pieces featuring different coloured tracks. It is based loosely on dominoes. It was designed by graphic designer Ken Garland in 1969 and produced by James Galt & Co Ltd...

 and Rivers, Roads & Rails

Rivers, Roads & Rails

Rivers, Roads & Rails is a matching game similar to dominoes, but with 140 square tiles and in some respects similar to Bendomino. The game was created by Ken Garland and Associates and first published in 1969. Since 1970 it has been produced by Ravensburger, first in an abstract form, and since...

. http://www.kengarland.co.uk/KGA%20toys%20and%20games/

Books by Ken Garland

• Illustrated Graphics Glossary, Barrie & Jenkins, 1980. (ISBN 978-0091415112)
• Graphics, Design and Printing Terms: An International Dictionary, Lund Humphries, 1989.
• Mr. Beck's Underground Map, Capital Transport Publishing, 1994. (ISBN 978-1854141682)
• A Word in Your Eye, Ken Garland, 1996, University of Reading, Department of Typography & Graphic Communication. (ISBN 978-0704911215)
• Metaphors (with Hans-Dieter Reichert), Bradbourne Publishing Ltd, 2001. (ISBN 978-0953974108)
• A Close Look at Fire Hydrants, Pudkin Books, 2009. (ISBN 978-1907243011)
• A Close Look at the Rickshas of Bangladesh, Pudkin Books, 2009. (ISBN 978-1907243035)
• A Close Look at the Tall Windows of Mexico, Pudkin Books, 2009. (ISBN 978-1907243028)