How did design help the suffragettes achieve their aims?

Green, white and purple. Alice Rawsthorn tells the story behind Sylvia Pankhurst’s eloquent and ingenious colour coded design identity for the suffragettes: instantly recognisable, yet versatile enough to be accessible to the poorest members of the movement. 

Alice Rawsthorn is an award-winning design critic and the author of the critically acclaimed books, Hello World: Where Design Meets Life and Design as an Attitude. Her weekly design column for The New York Times was syndicated worldwide for over a decade. Alice speaks on design at important global events including TED and the World Economic Forum in Davos. Born in Manchester and based in London, Alice is chair of the boards of trustees at Chisenhale Gallery in London, the contemporary dance group Michael Clark Company and The Hepworth Wakefield in Yorkshire. A founding member of the Writers for Liberty campaign to champion human rights and freedoms, Alice has been awarded an OBE for services to design and the arts.

Image: Alice Rawsthorn photographed by Michael Leckie

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