The National Print Museum announces a collaboration with internationally acclaimed graphic artist Anthony Burrill
A unique collaboration launching during Irish Design Week, 17–21 November 2025
The National Print Museum is delighted to announce a collaboration with internationally acclaimed graphic artist Anthony Burrill, launching during Irish Design Week.
Anthony Burrill is renowned for his ability to distill ideas into simple yet striking forms. Combining analogue craft with bold, optimistic messages, his work communicates with clarity and impact. Burrill frequently collaborates with forward-thinking practitioners across music, architecture, curation, education, and beyond, extending the possibilities of his chosen medium, letterpress printing, into new and ambitious directions.
The Collaboration
Back in 2015, for Irish Year of Design, the National Print Museum hosted the V&A’s touring exhibition A World to Win, which featured a powerful work Oil and Water Do Not Mix by Anthony Burrill. Ten years later, after following his work from afar, the Museum’s CEO Carla Marrinan Funder seized the opportunity for the Museum to invite Burrill to collaborate for Irish Design Week. In response to the invite, Burril asked “How soon can I get there?!”.
The following month Burrill visited the Museum to explore its working collection and collaborate with the Museum’s printers to create a new letterpress print. He worked with graphic artist Mary Plunkett on the composition, primarily using large wooden type from the Museum’s collection. Then working with the Museum’s printers Freddie Snowe and John King on the historic Wharfedale Stop Cylinder Press, the type of press used to print the 1916 Proclamation.
“Collaborations with creatives offer fresh perspectives on the National Print Museum’s historic collection and reveal the power it has to connect with people in meaningful ways today. Recent collaborations have included projects with Irish artist Maser, writer Roddy Doyle, and musician and poet Imelda May, and working with Anthony Burrill has been on our wish list for quite some time. This project demonstrates the enduring power of the printed word and reflects the Museum’s vision of a future in which the beauty and impact of printing continue to transform and enrich our world.” Carla Marrinan Funder
This partnership celebrates the enduring power of print as a tool for creativity, communication, and social impact.
Design Week Launch
To mark the launch, Anthony Burrill will return to the Museum during Irish Design Week for a Q&A-style talk, followed by live printing demonstrations and refreshments.
This full-booked public event offers a rare opportunity to hear directly from one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary design and to engage in dialogue around creativity, heritage, and the future of print.
Supported by Irish Design Week | Design & Crafts Council Ireland.
The National Print Museum acknowledges the ongoing support of the Department of Culture, Communication and Sport.
About Anthony Burrill
At the heart of his practice lies a belief in the power of words, gentle humour, and straightforward communication. His distinctive style is shaped by an enduring passion for creativity without boundaries, a commitment to simplicity, and a natural curiosity about people and the world around him.
Burrill’s work is represented in the permanent collections of the V&A and The Design Museum in London, the Cooper Hewitt in New York, and has been exhibited internationally at institutions including the Royal Academy in London, the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, the Triennale in Milan, and the Stedelijk Museum in Breda.
He has spoken at leading design conferences across Europe, North America, and Asia—including London, Berlin, Barcelona, Vienna, Toronto, Mumbai, Seoul, and Bangkok—and has led creative workshops in cities such as São Paulo, Detroit, Nairobi, and Venice.
Born in Littleborough, Lancashire, Burrill studied Graphic Design at Leeds Polytechnic before completing an MA at the Royal College of Art in London. He now lives and works in Rye, East Sussex.