Fonds
Born in Germany in 1929, Rolf Harder studied at the Hamburg Academy of Fine Arts from 1948 to 1952. He then worked at various agencies in Germany and Canada before moving to Montreal in 1959, where he founded Rolf Harder Design. Six years later, he co-founded Design Collaborative, a graphic and industrial design firm, with Ernst Roch and two other associates. He opened Rolf Harder & Associates in 1977. In the first 20 or so years of his career, he learned every facet of the profession by designing posters, visual identities, books, brochures, annual reports and drug packaging.
Rolf Harder was a leading figure in the early days of Montreal's graphic design scene and many of his creations from the 1960s have lost nothing of their impact and modernity. His work for institutions and companies like Canada Post, the National Arts Centre, the Montreal Symphony Orchestra (MSO) and the Royal Bank earned him over one hundred awards from around the world. For example, he designed the logos for Maison Alcan and multinational corporation Imasco.
Rolf Harder's career highlights include designing over 70 stamps for Canada Post, being one of only two Canadians invited to the 36th Venice Biennale in 1972, and being one of only two Canadians to win a World Logo Design Award.
A popular lecturer and influential voice on the Canadian design scene, he took part in numerous museum and gallery exhibitions inside and outside Canada. His work can be found in the permanent collections of the Paris Museum of Advertising, Alliance Graphique Internationale (Germany and Austria), MoMA in New York, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Library of Congress in Washington DC, National Archives of Canada, Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Musée national des beaux-arts in Quebec City and Museum of Arts and Crafts in Hamburg, Germany.
Rolf Harder's work has appeared in numerous prestigious publications like CA Magazine, Contemporary Designers, Graphis and IDEA. He was a member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts and Alliance Graphique Internationale, as well as a fellow of the Society of Graphic Designers of Canada and Société des designers graphiques du Québec (2007). In addition to working as a graphic designer until 2008, Rolf Harder was an amateur painter. He showed his abstract paintings from the mid-1970s to the early 2000s, primarily in Quebec galleries.
He died in Montreal in 2013. Source: Cloutier, S. and Marinelli, C. (n.d.). "Rolf Harder" in Société des designers graphiques du Québec.
Scope and Content
The fonds focusses on the career and personal life of graphic designer Rolf Harder, who was active in Montreal from the 1960s to his death in 2013. It chronicles his activities and those of his Montreal firm, Design Collaborative, which he co-founded in 1965 with Ernst Roch and which changed names several times. Through client records documenting the creative process from rough sketch to final design, the fonds presents numerous projects realized by Design Collaborative. The fonds also contains examples of completed projects, such as logos, stationery, posters, book covers and annual reports. Many of the creations documented in the fonds were commissioned by the Hoffmann-La Roche pharmaceutical company; sleekly designed drug packages, promotional brochures and leaflets produced by Rolf Harder illustrate the reigning aesthetic of the 1970s.
In addition, the fonds documents the professional activities of Rolf Harder, who was a member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts and regularly gave speeches and lectures presenting his vision of the profession. Believing graphic design to be an art, Rolf Harder and Ernst Roch took part in multiple exhibitions featuring their work and donated examples of their creations to cultural institutions like contemporary art museums in North America and Europe. The fonds thus includes flyers promoting these exhibitions and correspondence related to the donations. Design Collaborative enjoyed a high profile in the world of graphic design thanks to articles about it in specialized international journals and Canadian newspapers and the various publications it wrote about the profession.
The fonds also contains documents related to Rolf Harder's personal life and his activities as an amateur painter, such as flyers about exhibitions of his work and correspondence with cultural institutions about showing his work.
The fonds is divided into the following series:
P810/A Accounting
P810/B Project Management
P810/C Completed Projects
P810/D Professional Activities
P810/E Publications
P810/F Design Collaborative Exhibitions
P810/G Personal Life
P810/H Posters
P810/I Architectural Drawings
P810/J Photographs
Classification Scheme
P810/A COMPTABILITÉ
P810/A1 Livres de
comptabilité
P810/A1.1
Projets 1001 à 2053
P810/A1.2
Projets 2054 à 2208
P810/A2 Factures
P810/B ÉLABORATION DES PROJETS
P810/B,1 Listes des
clients
P810/B1 Dossiers des
clients
P810/B1.1
Postes Canada
P810/B1.2
B. Terfloth & Cie
P810/B1.3
Autres clients
P810/B2 Maquettes des
projets
P810/C PROJETS TERMINÉS
P810/C,1 Logos
P810/C1 Papeterie
P810/C1,1
Aclon Finance Inc.
P810/C1,2
Axxess International
P810/C1,3
B.Terfloth & Cie Ltd
P810/C1,4
Commission des écoles protestantes du Grand Montréal
P810/C1,5
CUSA
P810/C1,6
Diva
P810/C1,7
Éditions Bourguignon+
P810/C1,8
Gloria Ménard & associés
P810/C1,9
Grand Prix du Canada
P810/C1,10
IBM
P810/C1,11
IMASCO
P810/C1,12
Imopac
P810/C1,13
Infogramme
P810/C1,14
Magnasonic Ltd.
P810/C1,15
Ormel
P810/C1,16
Pantene Limitée
P810/C1,17
Perfo Limitée
P810/C1,18
Proulx photographie
P810/C1,19
Queenswear Ltd.
P810/C1,20
Revay & associés
P810/C1,21
Rolf Harder & Associés
P810/C1,22
André Valiquette
P810/C1,23
Valiquette & associés
P810/C,2 Cartes de vœux
P810/C2 Affiches,
dépliants et invitations pour des événements culturels
P810/C2,1
Académie royale des arts du Canada
P810/C2,2
Éditions Signum
P810/C2,3
Musée des Beaux-Arts de Montréal
P810/C2,4
Triennale de Milan de 1968
P810/C3 Client de
l’industrie pharmaceutique Hoffmann – La Roche
P810/C3,1
Brochures de promotion
P810/C3,2
Dépliants de promotion
P810/C3,3
Calendriers
P810/C3,4
Boites de médicaments et d’échantillons
P810/C3,5
Pochette de disque vinyle
P810/C4 Divers clients de
l’industrie pharmaceutique
P810/C4,1
Dépliants
P810/C4,2
Boites de médicaments et autres contenants
P810/C5 Client Centre
national des Art d’Ottawa
P810/C5,1
Papeterie
P810/C5,2
Bulletins et bons de commande
P810/C6 Client « Design
Canada », direction générale du design du Ministère de
l’Industrie
et du commerce
P810/C6,1
Manuel de graphisme
P810/C6,2
Papeterie
P810/C6,3
Dépliants
P810/C6,4
Bulletins
P810/C6,5
Projet : XIVe Triennale de Milan, 1968
P810/C7 Rapports annuels
P810/C7,1
Produits par Rolf Harder et Design Collaborative
P810/C7,2
Attribution incertaine
P810/C8 Livres et
couvertures de livres
P810/C8,1
Livres
P810/C8,2
Couvertures de livres
P810/D ACTIVITÉS PUBLIQUES
P810/D1 Discours et
conférences
P810/D1.1
Décennie 1960-1969
P810/D1.2
Décennie 1970-1979
P810/D1.3
Décennie 1980-1989
P810/D1.4
Décennie 1990-1999
P810/D1.5
Décennie 2000-2009
P810/D1.5,6
Conférence au Collège Dawson (Montréal)
P810/D1.6
Sans date
P810/D2 Académie royale
des arts du Canada
P810/D2,1 Varia
P810/D2,2
Constitution et statuts
P810/D2,3
Assemblées
P810/D2,4
Bulletins
P810/D2,5
Listes de membres
P810/D2,6
Correspondance
P810/D2,7
Propositions de projets
P810/D3 Donations de
travaux à des institutions culturelles
P810/D3,1
Bibliothèque nationale de France (Paris, France)
P810/D3,2
Victoria & Albert Museum (Londres, Angleterre)
P810/D3,3
MoMA (New York, États-Unis)
P810/D3,4
Musée des Beaux-arts de Montréal (Montréal)
P810/D3,5
Deutsches Plakat Museum (Essen, Allemagne)
P810/D3,6
National Gallery of Canada (Ottawa)
P810/D3,7
Université McGill, Département des Livres rares (Montréal)
P810/D3,8
Musée du Québec (Québec)
P810/D3,9
Ernst Roch Collection
P810/D3,10
Alliance Graphique Internationale (Téhéran, Iran)
P810/D3,11 Université de Boston (Boston, États-Unis)
P810/D3,12
Librairie du Congrès (Washington D.C., États-Unis)
P810/D3,13
Musée de la Publicité (Paris, France)
P810/D3,14
Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe (Hambourg, Allemagne)
P810/D3,15
Archives nationales du Canada (Ottawa)
P810/D3,16
Design Austria (Vienne, Autriche)
P810/D3,17
Österreich Institut für Formgebung (Vienne, Autriche)
P810/D3,18
Université de Reading (Reading, Angleterre)
P810/D3,19
Die Neue Sammlung (Munich, Allemagne)
P810/D3,20
Rochester Institute of Technology (Rochester, États-Unis)
P810/E PUBLICATIONS
P810/E1 Par Design
Collaborative
P810/E1, 1
Symbols, Trademarks, Logos 1950-2005
P810/E1, 2
Graphic Design by Rolf Harder and Ernst Roch
P810/E2 À propos de Design
Collaborative
P810/E2.1
Communiqués de presse
P810/E2.1,1 À propos de leurs expositions
P810/E2.1,2
À propos des timbres dessinés pour Poste Canada
P810/E2.1,3
À propos du logo IMASCO
P810/E2.2
Coupures de presse
P810/E2.2,1
Généralités
P810/E2.2,2
À propos des timbres dessinés pour Poste Canada
P810/E2.2,3
À propos du logo du Centre national des arts d’Ottawa
P810/E2.2,4
À propos du logo des Jeux olympiques de Munich 1972
P810/E2.3 Magazines et tirés à part
P810/E2.3,1
Magazine Architecture concept
P810/E2.3,2
Magazine Gebrauchsgraphik
P810/E2.3,3
Magazine Graphis
P810/E2.3,4
The Journal of commercial Art & Design
P810/E2.3,5
Magazine Typography
P810/E2.3,6
Autres magazines
P810/E3 À propos des timbres
de Postes Canada
P810/F EXPOSITIONS DE DESIGN
COLLABORATIVE
P810/F,1 1960 : 9e
exposition annuelle d’art éditorial et de publicité (Montréal)
P810/F,2 1961 : American
Institute of Graphic Arts (New York, États-Unis)
P810/F,3 1961 : 10e
exposition annuelle d’art éditorial et de publicité (Montréal)
P810/F,4 1962 : 11e
exposition annuelle d’art éditorial et de publicité (Montréal)
P810/F,5 1963 : 12e
exposition annuelle d’art éditorial et de publicité (Montréal
P810/F,6 1964 : Typography
64 (Ottawa)
P810/F,7 1965 :
Graphica’65 (Montréal)
P810/F,8 1967 : Goethe
Institut (Montréal)
P810/F,9 1968 : Triennale
di Milano (Milan, Italie)
P810/F,10 1970 : Ulster
County Community College (Stone Ridge, États-Unis)
P810/F,11 1970 : Musée des
Beaux-Arts de Montréal (Montréal)
P810/F,12 1972 : Biennale
di Venezia (Venise, Italie)
P810/F,13 1974 :
Staatliche Hochschule für Blinde Künste (Braunschweig,
Allemagne)
P810/F,14 1974 :
Landesmuseum (Oldenburg, Allemagne)
P810/F,15 1976 : Galerie
Saw (Ottawa)
P810/F,16 1976 : Goethe
Institut (Montréal)
P810/F,17 1977 :
Bibliothèque nationale (Ottawa)
P810/F,18 1978 : Galerie
Confederation Centre (Charlottetown, Î.-P.-É)
P810/F,19 1979 : Galerie
d’art et musée de l’Université d’Alberta (Edmonton, AB)
P810/F,20 1979 : Galerie
d’art de l’Université York (Toronto)
P810/F,21 1980 : Galerie
Stewart Hall (Pointe-Claire)
P810/F,22 1986 : Centre de
création et de diffusion du design de l’UQAM
(Montréal)
P810/F,23 1990 : Château
de Blois (Blois, France)
P810/G VIE PERSONNELLE DE ROLF HARDER
P810/G1 Éléments
biographiques
P810/G1,1
CV
P810/G1,2
Réflexions personnelles
P810/G1.1
Nécrologie
P810/G2 Activité de
peintre
P810/G2,1
Coupures de presse à propos d’expositions de peinture
P810/G2.1
Expositions de peinture
P810/G2.1,1
1974 : Galerie Bourguignon+ (Montréal)
P810/G2.1,2
1976 : Galerie Burnaby (Burnaby, BC)
P810/G2.1,3
1991 : Galerie Dominion (Montréal)
P810/G2.1,4
1993 : Académie Royale des Arts (Montréal)
P810/G2.1,5
1996 : Galerie Shayne (Mont-Royal)
P810/G2.1,6
1997 : Galerie de l’Université Bishop (Sherbrooke)
P810/G2.1,7
1998 : Académie Royale des Arts (Québec)
P810/G2.1,8
1999 : Galerie West End (Montréal)
P810/G2.1,9
1999 : Galerie Hittite (Toronto)
P810/G2.1,10 2001 : Galerie de
la Ville (Dollard-des-Ormeaux)
P810/G2.1,11
s.d. : Galerie de l’Université d’Oregon (Oregon, États-Unis)
P810/G2.2
Correspondance avec des institutions culturelles
P810/H AFFICHES
P810/H1 Affiches
d’expositions (folder 12)
P810/H2 Autres affiches
P810/I DESSINS D’ARCHITECTURE
P810/J PHOTOGRAPHIES
Source of title proper: Based on the creator of the documents.
Physical description: In addition to textual records, the fonds contains about 1415 iconographic documents, 6 architectural drawings and 30 objects.
Given that the creator of the documents worked as a graphic designer, it is impossible to separate iconographic documents from textual records, notably in the Project Management (P810/B) and Completed Projects (P810/C) series. Therefore, it was decided to acknowledge this reality in the physical description. In addition, some iconographic documents like posters and photographs were also counted as such in the physical description.
Physical condition: Overall, the records are well preserved. However, the two accounting ledgers (series P810/A) present several conservation issues as some pages have come loose. They have been digitized for consultation to slow their deterioration.
Immediate source of acquisition: The fonds was assembled by the Société des designers graphiques du Québec and proposed to the McCord Stewart Museum by Carina Marinelli, who is in charge of honorary members and archives at the SDGQ. It was then donated to the Museum by Vivian Harder, daughter of Rolf Harder, in 2019.
Arrangement: The fonds was not organized in any specific order when it was acquired. The classification plan created was therefore based on the creator's activities. In each individual file, the original order was preserved.
Language: The documents are primarily in English and French, though several are in German.
Related groups of records: The McCord Stewart Museum preserves collections of documents associated with the history of graphic design in Quebec and how it relates to Montreal's economic and institutional history. In addition to the fonds of Réal Séguin (P791), Gilles Robert (P811), Roger Lafortune (P797) and Georges Huel (P790), all of whom are honorary members of the Société des designers graphiques du Québec (SDGQ), the Museum holds the John and John Henry Walker Fonds (P729).
Accruals: No accruals are expected.
Last update: 24th of February 2023
Information about the objects in our collection is updated to reflect new research findings. If you have any information to share regarding this object, please email reference.mccord@mccord-stewart.ca.Information about rights and reproductions is available here.
This project is made possible thanks to the generous support of the Azrieli Foundation and Canadian Heritage.