Railways Studios: How a Government Design Studio Helped Build New Zealand 2020

On the 100th anniversary of its creation, this book celebrates Railways Studios—the design studio of the New Zealand Railways—and its role in helping build and connect New Zealand. It’s a surprising story: a government agency that produced advertising for any-and-all clients, and dominated outdoor advertising for over 65 years (1920–1987). The Studios’ advertisements ranged from posters to painted billboards and brochures, and they decorated every city and town, creating a gallery of the street. Whatever the promotion—from rail travel and tourism to enlistment in the army, clothing, and health promotion—the Studios played a role. Thousands of its designs influenced public attitudes, shaping how New Zealanders saw themselves. This definitive history of railways advertising is a time capsule of New Zealand life and examines the art of the Railways Studios, detailing its formative place in New Zealand design and art history.