Accent accentuates ideas.

"Accent accentuates ideas" was the opening line in issue one of Accent, a journal edited and published by the students of Leeds College of Art (now Leeds Arts University) between 1958 and 1964. Articles in Accent were written largely by established artists and designers then compiled and published by the students. Articles were selected because they were “exploratory rather than explanatory” (Accent 1, p.2).

The period of history when these journals were produced was a particularly dynamic one in Britain. Following WWII there were many stark changes and innovations in society. Artists and art teachers were looking critically at traditional practices in a transformed socio-political context. Leeds was a vital centre of artistic production and pedagogy, with Leeds College of Art actively developing its influential Basic Design teaching strategies in alignment with emerging Modernist ideas. The student journals produced at the time are a fascinating insight into the students’ contributions to this pivotal moment in art history.

For each issue, students sold advertising space to businesses such as printers and book sellers, whose ads are beautifully designed works in their own right. At the back of each journal, we find short book reviews of some of the latest publications in the visual arts. The journals themselves were printed on papers of varied textures and colours with photographs reproduced in black and white. The primary content of Accent consisted of intellectually challenging and experimental contributions from a wide range of creative practitioners.

Our project invited current students on the BA (Hons) Creative Writing course to revisit these journals more than 60 years after their original publication. Working alongside the university’s Collections Librarian, the students explored the history of Leeds Arts University and had the opportunity to handle and read original copies of Accent. Each student then selected an aspect of the publications to respond to, creating new works ranging from poetry and prose to experimental writing.

Today, copies of these journals are held in the Leeds Arts University Archive and form part the University’s collections. Through exhibitions, events, handling sessions, research-led projects, and learning opportunities, we draw on these resources in our mission to make knowledge visible, accessible, and inspiring for all. With this online exhibition we are delighted to offer a glimpse of these remarkable mid-century student journals and to share the thoughtful and inventive responses of our Creative Writing students in 2025.