Philip Webb (1831 – 1915) British architect and designer

Advertisements
Philip Webb and the Beginnings of the Modern House
Philip Webb and the Beginnings of the Modern House

Philip Webb was a British architect and designer; he was born in Oxford. 

Education

Between 1849-52 he trained under architect John Billing in Reading. 

Biography

He joined architect G.E. Street’s office in Oxford as a principal assistant. While there in 1856, met William Morris and became greatly influenced by the writings of John Ruskin.

In 1858, set up his own office and designed Morris’s 1859 Red House, Bexleyheath. With its asymmetrical and free ground plan and its inter-related interior and exterior, the house, built in unpretentious red brick, was an influential early example of a new type of domestic architecture in the Gothic Revival style, the first full manifestation of the Arts and Crafts movement.

Philip Webb - Early and rare sideboard, circa 1862
Philip Webb – Early and rare sideboard, circa 1862

In 1861, Webb became a partner in Morris, Marshall, and Faulkner. He designed solid furniture in oak in a simplified and austere Gothic style. He produced stained glass and book covers and designed simple small glass items and metalwork with medieval references. His town and country houses unconventionally combined medieval and 19th-century elements. One of the best known is the 1891 house, Standen, East Grinstead. 

Sources

Byars, M., & Riley, T. (2004). The design encyclopedia. Laurence King Publishing.

More on Graphic Design

  • A Symbol for ‘Nobody’ That’s Really for Everybody

    A Symbol for ‘Nobody’ That’s Really for Everybody

    Back in 1968, Danish design student Susanne Koefoed developed the International Access Symbol and as ubiquitous as it became, there is a passivity to the design that is arguably addressed by the latest Accessible Icon. With its own emoji and increasing acceptance across the globe, the new symbol started as a street art project in…


    Learn More →


  • Designing with Type, 5th Edition: The Essential Guide to Typography

    Designing with Type, 5th Edition: The Essential Guide to Typography

    Designing with Type, 5th Edition: The Essential Guide to Typography  by James CraigRead More →


    Learn More →


  • Paris: May 1968 Posters of the Student Revolt

    Paris: May 1968 Posters of the Student Revolt

    In the turbulent days of May 1968 in Paris, a group of artists calling themselves the Atelier Populaire created posters that were vital in spreading the call to unite student and workers.  The propaganda of the French revolt was fed by immediate pressures.  The day by day events – the disruption of classes at Nanterre…


    Learn More →


  • Logos that Last: How to Create Iconic Visual Branding

    Logos that Last: How to Create Iconic Visual Branding

    Logos That Last is a book that shares the unique creative process of graphic designer Allan Peters, who has designed hundreds of logos for top brands and personal passion projects. It includes detailed case studies, tips for creating outstanding logos, strategies for extending logos into brand systems, and advice for turning passion into profession.Read More…


    Learn More →


  • Hello Kitty a Japanese media franchise

    Hello Kitty a Japanese media franchise

    When the Japanese company Sanrio first launched “Hello Kitty” in 1974 as a greetings card for children, this patented brand cartoonlike image of a cat (a lucky emblem in Japan) was applied to over 1,000 products ranging from domestic appliances, computer keyboards, personal stereos, and credit cards to sweet wrappers, T-shirts, and eyelash curlersRead More…


    Learn More →


  • Peace Poster by Luba Lukova

    Peace Poster by Luba Lukova

    Peace was first published as Lukova’s visual commentary on the Op-Ed page of The New York Times, and later the artist reinterpreted it as a serigraph poster. Arguably one of Lukova’s most well known and most copied images, Peace asks a question: do we protect peace by creating endless wars? Read More →


    Learn More →


  • Jules Cheret (1836 – 1932) – The Father of Modern Poster Art

    Jules Cheret (1836 – 1932) – The Father of Modern Poster Art

    Jules Cheret was a French painter who became a master of Belle Epoque poster art. Over the course of his long life, Cheret produced more than 1000 posters. His extravagantly colourful designs were used to regularly promote upcoming theatre productions. He is regarded as the father of the modern poster.Read More →


    Learn More →


  • What is a Monogram?

    What is a Monogram?

    A monogram is a single symbol made up of one or more letters. Every aspect of an individual’s taste and fancy can be accommodated with a monogram. Monograms differ significantly, and there are of a great variety of design.  There are so many different types and combinations of the same letters that no two persons…


    Learn More →


  • AIGA – American Institute of Graphic Arts – What is it?

    AIGA – American Institute of Graphic Arts – What is it?

    The American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) is a group of professional designers who aim to show how important design is to industry, society, and our future as a whole. It was started in 1914 by a small group of graphic designers, printers, publishers, and illustrators. Since then, it has developed into a national network…


    Learn More →


  • Paul Rand (1914 -1996) – Designer who led the way

    Paul Rand (1914 -1996) – Designer who led the way

    Paul Rand, was a seminal figure in graphic design who made innovative visual identities for some of America’s major corporations and book and magazine publishers We all have seen the designs of Paul Rand at some stage of our lives. He had a career spanning nearly seven decades. There is the seminal logo for IBM…


    Learn More →


  • Punk Fanzine: Sniffin’ Glue

    Punk Fanzine: Sniffin’ Glue

    The DIY style was one of the novelties that British punk introduced in the 1970s. There were hundreds of these fanzines, the most well-known of which being Sniff in ‘Glue. i-D, published by the art director Terry Jones, evolved from a fanzine into a publishing success.Read More →


    Learn More →


  • Glyphs – Road to International Understanding

    Glyphs – Road to International Understanding

    Glyphs are graphical symbols that are more or less universally used. The Ancient Greeks had a word for most of today’s needs,  the glyph is a Greek word meaning carving. Glyphs should carve a road to international communication by breaking down language barriers.Read More →


    Learn More →


  • Penguin Book Covers (1946 – 1949) Designer: Jan Tschichold

    Penguin Book Covers (1946 – 1949) Designer: Jan Tschichold

    Tschichold created new standards of text arrangement and style that inspired all of the British postwar graphic design, although only working for the publication for three years. Then, with the formulation of the “Penguin Composition Rules,” he was able to apply Modernist theory to the requirements of book manufacturing.Read More →


    Learn More →


  • Peter Behrens (1868 – 1940) – German architect/designer

    Peter Behrens (1868 – 1940) – German architect/designer

    Peter Brehens (1868 – 1940) was a German graphic artist, architect and designer. He studied at the Karlsruhe and in Düsseldorf and Munich.Read More →


    Learn More →


  • Capitalisation rules – the basics

    Capitalisation rules – the basics

    If you have ever read an old newspaper (early nineteenth century) and you look carefully at the old broadsheets.  You will notice that words are capitalised here and there and that the rules of capitalisation, some of which you will learn shortly, seem nonexistent.Read More →


    Learn More →


  • Peter Behrens (1868 – 1940) – German architect and designer

    Peter Behrens (1868 – 1940) – German architect and designer

    Peter Brehens (1868 – 1940) was a German graphic artist, architect and designer. He studied at the Karlsruhe and in Düsseldorf and Munich.Read More →


    Learn More →


  • Jacqueline Groag (1903 – 1986) Czech textile designer

    Jacqueline Groag (1903 – 1986) Czech textile designer

    Jacqueline Groag (1903 – 1986) was a Czech textile designer and ceramicist. Born in Prague she studied in Vienna at the Kunstgewerbeschule during the 1920s. In 1937 she moved to Paris where she designed dress prints for Jeanne Lanvin, Elsa Schiparelli and others.Read More →


    Learn More →


  • Wolfgang Weingart – Swiss Typographer and Designer

    Wolfgang Weingart – Swiss Typographer and Designer

    He was dubbed “the father” of New Wave or Swiss Punk typography . LEARN MORERead More →


    Learn More →


  • Ikko Tanaka (1930 -2002)  🇯🇵 Graphic Design blend of East and West

    Ikko Tanaka (1930 -2002) 🇯🇵 Graphic Design blend of East and West

    Ikko Tanaka was a Leading Graphic Designer in Japan. He had an enormous impact on the post-war visual culture in Japan.Read More →


    Learn More →


You may also be interested in

Webb Corbett British glassware manufacturer – Encyclopedia of Design

Webb Corbett is a British glassware manufacturer, located in Stourbridge. Irene Stevens joined Webb Corbett as a designer in 1946. L. Green designed its 1958 Bouquet range of cut glass. David Marquess of Queensberry was retained as a consultant designer in the early 1960s.

Harvey Littleton American glassware designer – Encyclopedia of Design

Harvey Littleton was an American glassware designer. He was born in Corning, New York. He was professionally active in the USA and Britain. Harvey Littleton Glass as a medium for artistic expression Between 1939-42 and 1946-47, he studied at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, receiving a bachelor’s degree in design.

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.