Walter Jungkind

Walter Jungkind was born in Zurich, Switzerland in 1923. He began his career by apprenticing as a designer/ lithographer with the publishing house Orell Fuessli AG, and later studied at the Kunstgewerbeschule in Zurich. He continued his studies in London in 1950 and from 1960-68 taught graphic design and photography at the London College of Printing and Graphic Art. In 1968 he was invited as Visiting Professor to the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada, where he was instrumental in establishing the Division of Visual Communication Design. He was subsequently promoted to Professor and worked at the University of Alberta until his retirement in 1990.

Jungkind initiated and co-designed with his colleagues a number of international design exhibitions at the University and was involved with many other prestigious design committees and initiatives. From 1974-77 he was President of the International Council of Graphic Design Associations (Icograda), and for many years served as Canadian delegate to ATypI (Association Typograpique Internationale). Walter Jungkind was a founding member of the Society of Graphic Designers in Canada (GDC) and served for three years (1977-80) as its President.

Among his honours were the Icograda Award for Design in the Educational Field, Vienna 1972; the Medal of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts 1976; the Chairman's Award of Merit of the National Design Council of Canada 1979; and a Citation of Merit from the Chairman of the National Design Council in 1982. He served for several years as Chairman of the Canadian Advisory Committee on International Signs and Symbols of the Standards Council of Canada and as Canadian delegate to the International Standards Organisation (ISO) in Geneva. Walter Jungkind was a Fellow of the Society of Graphic Designers of Canada (FGDC) and a Fellow of the Chartered Society of Designers of Great Britain (FCSD).

In addition to his rich career in design, Walter Junkind was also an avid photographer, and he enjoyed making images of urban views that incorporated vernacular signs/writings and random typographical expressions.