Introducing our New Ambassadors: Katherine Easthill

Society News

23 February, 2026

We are pleased to introduce the newest members of the Design History Society team: our new Ambassadors!

First up is Katherine Easthill, a design history researcher and graphic designer. Her MA dissertation, Black, White & Red All Over looked at the introduction of colour to The Sun front page. Katherine is now working on a PhD analysing The Wapping Post, a newspaper set up by sacked printworkers and journalists during the Wapping dispute (1986–7), funded by the Arts & Humanities Research Council through the Techne Doctoral Training Partnership.

Tell us a bit about yourself and your specific design history interests

I am interested in graphic design broadly but primarily in print. Specifically, my current research looks at the British newspaper industry and the technological shift that happened in the late 1980s, how it changed the papers visually, affected the people that produced them and reflected wider political shifts happening at the time. Alongside that I am also interested in mass communication tools, alternative media, photojournalism, sensationalism and the role design plays in news making. 

How did you get into design history? 

During my undergraduate study in graphic design my practice was always informed by historical research, my final project, Agree to Disagree, looked at print and how it functions as a communication tool in contrast to the internet. Print and design research was always something I wanted to explore further in my career. After working as a graphic designer and assisting a private collector of 20^th century print and ephemera for several years I decided to return to education. In 2024 I completed my MA in History of Design with the Victoria & Albert Museum and the Royal College of Art. Throughout the course I learnt so much and found a lot of my interests and skills well suited to the subject. I also found the research topic I’d chosen was fairly under researched, so seeing that I could potentially contribute new knowledge into this area I decided to pursue PhD opportunities.

Is there is a particular object that is key to your research? If so, please share your interest in it

The Wapping Post, a newspaper set up by sacked workers during the Wapping dispute (1986–7) is the central part of my PhD research. The design of the paper satirised the tabloid aesthetic, particularly The Sun the topic of my MA dissertation, in its visual identity. Generally, I think newspaper are fascinating design objects through how they are produced and consumed and the role they play in society.

Additionally, this was a key moment in the British newspaper industry, with the introduction of new technology completely changing the way they were designed; the wider political context of Thatcher’s government; the introduction of anti-trade union laws and the impact this had on the workforce; and the hypercompetition of the British tabloids and the effect this had on their content.

What are you looking forward to most about being a DHS Ambassador?

I’m excited to be part of a community of researchers interested in design history and to learn and engage with the field more widely. I’m interested in using my design and publication skills to help promote the DHS to fellow students with similar interests and to meet fellow students through our work on the DHS Student Conference. I am also really looking forward to the DHS Conference in September, the theme being so close to my own research I think it will be an incredibly opportunity to discover things that can relate back to my own work. 

Find out more about Katherine's work here: https://www.katherineeasthill.com/