When Coventry City had the most beautiful programmes ever made

28 February 2019 12:54
John Elvin went to Coventry in 1970 with a simple mission: to change the way football fans viewed the humble programmeBy Sam Diss for MUNDIAL, part of the Guardian Sport NetworkHow do you change something that people don’t realise needs changing? That was the question facing John Elvin when he and his young family moved from Hammersmith in south west London to the Midlands. West Bromwich Albion had poached him from his kitchen table.It was the late 1960s and John had been making a steady living by designing posters of footballers from home. He had quit his job at a design agency in London and orders kept coming through the post, with fans looking to buy a poster of Jeff Astle or Alan Ball, rolled up in a cardboard tube, with Elvin’s signature. West Brom had noticed him – noticed the way he used image and typography like nobody else – and made him an offer. Their matchday programme was floundering. John, do you want to take it over? He did. Related: What makes a great football stadium? Continue reading......read full article

Source: TheGuardian