Guardian and Observer advertising: teaching resource from GNM archive

Centenary staff photograph album, 1921 Printers in the Bill room at the Manchester Guardian offices with a newsstand poster advertising the centenary edition.
Photograph: GNM Archive for the Guardian

Artwork for Observer advertisement, c1934 This artwork features a variation on the famous ‘Observer eye’, introduced in the first edition of the Observer in 1791 in the centre of the masthead. To use the eye in the artwork is unusual, as it was no longer used in 1934. The Observer was sold for 2d from 20 June 1895 through to 10 August 1947.
Photograph: GNM Archive for the Guardian

Observer newsagent advertisement c 1930 – 1942 This is a unique donation to the GNM Archive. It was produced between 1930-1942 as it has the Observer’s gothic style font. This was dropped from the newspaper in 1942. It interestingly incorporates a mirror perhaps implying that the Observer reflects the news of the country.
Photograph: Robin Christian for the Guardian

Newsstand featuring Guardian Advert, c1970s This newsstand was one of the many items discovered in the Guardian’s Farringdon Road office during the move to our new home at Kings Place in 2008.
Photograph: Robin Christian for the Guardian

Points of view television advert 1986 The ‘points of view’ advert from the mid 1980s is one of the most iconic Guardian TV adverts. It starts off with a youth running down a street seemingly about to mug a businessman when in fact he is trying to save him from bricks falling from a building site. The premise being that readers should see all the points of view to get the whole picture. To see the advert click here it is number 151 on the Guardian 190 interactive. Photograph: The Guardian/Guardian

‘The Observer is not as thick as the Sunday Times’, badge c1989 In response to the Sunday Times’ introduction of a number of new sections in 1988, the Observer launched an advertising campaign emphasizing quality over quantity. Nick Morrell, The Observer’s Managing editor, explained at the time “quality is to be the watchword of Observer strategy” as opposed to The Sunday Times’ “Department Store” approach.
Photograph: Robin Christian for the Guardian

Design work for advertising campaign for the Guide, mid 1990s The first edition of the Saturday Guide pocket size entertainment listings magazine was published on 4 September 1993. It has recently celebrated its thousandth edition.
Photograph: Robin Christian for the Guardian

Design work for cash for questions advert October 1996 In 1994 the Guardian published an article in which Mohammed Al-Fayed, owner of Harrods, alleged that he had bribed two Conservative MPs, Ian Smith and Neil Hamilton, to raise questions in parliament on his behalf. Hamilton tried to sue the paper but settled the day before the £10million case was due to go to court on 30 September 1996. This advert contains a copy of the Guardian’s front page from the following morning.
Photograph: Robin Christian for the Guardian

Guardian Advertisements, 1998 This advertisement featuring Rupert Murdoch was used extensively in 1998. The advert using a quote by Peter Mandelson was due to follow the Murdoch one but was never used because Mandelson was forced to resign from government in 1998 following a Guardian investigation which exposed the fact that he had failed to disclose a loan from cabinet colleague Geoffrey Robinson. Guardian Marketing manager Karen Bryne explained, “ We felt at the time that the Guardian had done its job of work and to continue with the advertising would be too crowing.”
Photograph: Robin Christian for the Guardian

Free Thinkers welcome advert (1998-2005) Free thinkers is one of the Guardian’s slogan adverts. The free thinkers slogan highlighted the breadth of views in the Guardian comment pages and foreshadowed the setting up of Comment is free in 2006. The launch of the Berliner format continued this theme with variations of “think” - for instance “ think in pictures”.
Photograph: Robin Christian for the Guardian

Costumes from Three Little Pigs TV advert This advert was first screened in February 2012, and imagines how the Guardian might cover the story of the Three Little Pigs in print and online. It follows the story’s initial coverage from the paper's front page, online multimedia coverage, reader responses, social media discussion which all leads to a very different conclusion. You can watch the advert here, see a gallery of images about the making of the advert here and teaching ideas here. Photograph: Margaret Holborn/Guardian