Reinhard Derreth was a graduate of the Emily Carr University of Art + Design. He was a leading edge graphic designer in Vancouver, and with his company Reinhard Derreth Graphics, worked closely with the Vancouver Art Gallery, producing books, posters and brochures, such as the 1984 catalogue Jack Shadbolt: Act of Painting. Derreth was the designer for Doris Shadbolt’s 1979 book The Art of Emily Carr, as well as her 1986 book on Bill Reid. During the 1980s and 1990s, he worked with other well-known artists such as Jeff Wall, Gordon Smith, Stan Douglas and Robert Davidson, to name a few. When the Jack and Doris Shadbolt Foundation was formed in 1988, he became its chairman, a position he kept for 20 years. He also worked for the Inuit Art Council in the 1980s, and helped to expand awareness of Inuit art to a global audience.