The David Wills Collection

The David Wills Collection

Working in London, beginning in 1961, at advertising agencies and publishers as a graphic designer and art director, including with the influential Tom Wolsey at Town magazine, David went on to design many issues of the sixties London underground papers - including the psychedelic full color glossy, Oz.

Oz was just one of the publications David worked on that the Lord Chamberlain‘s censors and others successfully shut down. Oz was famously the subject of a 3-month long freedom of speech trial at the Old Bailey. The trial is the subject of a verbatim movie you can find on YouTube with Hugh Grant playing the part of Richard Neville. John Lennon and Yoko Ono released a single, God Save Oz, to help fund the trial.

David left London in 1971 for San Francisco where he worked again as a freelance graphic designer, including for a while at Rolling Stone Magazine and then with Margo StJames on her Coyote campaign to decriminalize prostitution. David designed posters and helped produce the wildly successful Hookers Balls from 1973 to 1979.

Working with editor Stewart Brand on the Whole Earth Catalog, David designed the covers and layouts of many books and magazines.

David designed many books for Shelter Publications including Tiny Homes.

Come join us at the Blue Painted Lady on Alamo Square in San Francisco, to meet David Wills and see his life's work from 1960s London to 1970s until present day San Francisco. Don't miss this rare opportunity to see such a large collection of Davids work in person! Whether you are an enthusiast or just curious, this is a unique experience you won't want to miss!