Research

Ongoing

Finding Bob Linney (2024– )
Co-curated with Jacky Linney and Tony Casement, Finding Bob Linney is a retrospective exhibition of the late graphic designer Bob Linney‘s life and work. Bob Linney (1948–2023) worked in Birmingham, London and Suffolk designing and printing posters for arts organisations and bands, social justice and environmental groups, designing album artwork for bands such as UB40 and The Beloved, as well as publicity material for the Arts Council’s Contemporary Music Network and the National Trust. In 1983 he set up the Health Images charity, working directly with people in developing countries to promote health education through imagery.

The exhibition will be hoisted by The Cut Arts Centre, Halesworth, Suffolk, from 26 May–18 July 2026.
There will be an accompanying lecture about Bob Linney on the closing date of the show.

Links
Article: Finding Jacky Linney… and Tony
Article: Meeting Bob Linney

Archived

Picture Books For All (2019–2025)
Co-curated with colleagues Rob Ramsden and Dr Vassiliki Tzomaka, and in collaboration with Suffolk Archives, the Picture Books For All exhibition showcased W. S. Cowell Ltd, the pioneering Ipswich printer who helped to develop picture book printing in Britain, working with leading illustrators, artists and publishers from the 1930s through to the 1980s. Nigel and Rob’s research has since fed into public lectures on Cowell’s place within the history of modernism and their influence on contemporary picture book illustration.

Picture Books For All was exhibited at Ipswich’s The Hold from 20 October 2022–8 January 2023.
Picture Books For All public lectures:
10 November 2022, The Hold: Nigel Ball, Rob Ramsden and Vassiliki Tzomaka
10 July 2025, Ipswich Arts Association: Nigel Ball and Rob Ramsden

Links
Picture Books For All: The journey of an exhibition
Suffolk Archives exhibition webpage
Suffolk Archives Picture Books For All shorthand stories

A line illustration of a seahorse rendered in red, surrounded by the text: Picture Books For All, The Fine Printing Of W.S. Cowell Ltd, The Press In The Butter Market
A photograph of an exhibition space. A wall on the right hand side has an abstract map overlaid with text, and on the far wall there is a text based information vertical panel, a glass cabinet and framed work on the wall. To the far right is an oval sign with an illustration of a seahorse.
A photograph of an exhibition space. There is framed artwork on the walls and glass cabinets with books displayed in them.
A photograph of an exhibition space. There is framed artwork on the walls and glass cabinets and vertical panels of text.
A photograph of an exhibition space. There is framed artwork on the walls.
A photograph of an exhibition space. There are glass cabinets and vertical panels of text.
A photograph of an exhibition space. There is framed artwork on the far wall, a glass cabinet, books displayed on shelves, and in the foreground, an oval sign featuring a an illustration of a seahorse.

Exhibition photographs curtesy of Suffolk Archives / Simon Lee Photography

Graphic Commons (2017–2025)
The term Graphic Commons is proposed as a linguistic device to encourage stakeholder discussion about the visual culture of public space, and to question how visual communication influences environmental ambiences and human behaviour.

Links
Proposing the Graphic Commons pamphlet text
Graphic Commons category blog posts

A photograph of a telephone box with an advert for Greggs applied to its door. This telephone box sits in a pedestrianised area, with bicycles and motorbikes parked around it, and a parked car can be seen in the distance between two buildings

Graphic Commons: Graphic Interruptions (2015–2023)
Graphic Interruptions explores the visual and textual (mis) readings of corrupted visual communication in the everyday. It seeks to question what the effect of these ‘interruptions’ mean to the intent of the designer and the desired message.

Links
Graphic Interruptions book pdf
Graphic Interruptions category blog posts

A photograph of the words Bus Stop partially painted on a street after road works have taken place with a road cone.

Graphic Commons: Aesthetics of Convenience (2019)
Aesthetics of Convenience is a photographic study of the vinyl window coverings of convenience stores. It considers how these window displays impact on the neighbourhoods and locations they inhabit, and the people who shop and work in them.

Links
Aesthetics of Convenience newspaper
Aesthetics of Convenience category blog posts

A photograph of a convenience store corner shop window, covered from edge to edge in a vinyl print of products the shop sells, including wine bottles, biscuits, confectionary and tobacco products.

Surface Exchange (2021–2023)
Surface Exchange is a collaborative project between Srin Surti and Nigel Ball. Established in November 2021, it forms a visual conversation between artist and designer as each alternately post an image on Instagram in response to the previous submission.

Links
Surface Exchange on Instagram

Constitutionals (2020)
Constitutionals are a series of neighbourhood observations from (almost) daily walks made during the first full month of lockdown in the UK in April 2020.

Links
Constitutionals on Instagram

A photograph of repainted white street markings on a tarmac surface.

McJunk (2002–2016)
McJunk is a visual exploration of McDonald’s litter that seeks to question the relationship between graphic design and disposable culture.

Links
McJunk book pdf
McJunk category blog posts
I’m leavin’ it article McJunk Eye magazine

A photograph of a discarded McDonald's take-away cup in a grass verge.

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