One Shilling: The Football Programme Design Revolution of 1965-85

One Shilling: The Football Programme Design Revolution of 1965-85 is the first-ever exploration of this golden era of football programme design, when the humble football programme suddenly boasted a remarkable variety of eye-catching covers and layouts.

The football programme has been a staple of the national game since Victorian times. Passionate artists and typesetters designed printed programmes for match goers, but unlike the fashion or music industries, the names behind the artworks for these pocket-money priced matchday publications were often uncredited or ignored. Until now.

At its heart, this is the story of John Elvin, the greatest football programme designer, who tore up the formal code of lay-outs and traditional typefaces, and used photos in new and innovative ways. The book also explores the wider cultural and political backstory of British football over a transformative two decades from England’s World Cup victory in 1966, and looking forward, it champions the potential of a new era for programme design.

Matthew Caldwell set up the Instagram account @1_shilling to share the story of forgotten football programme designs with the world. He is a co-founder of Monday Nights design practice, a cross-discipline design studio specialising in brand identity across multiple sectors including sports and entertainment. Alan Dein is an oral historian, writer and radio broadcaster, and is a lifelong collector of footballing ephemera.