c. 1950–1985
German Modernism refers to graphic design that emerged in West Germany in the postwar decades, distinct from the Swiss-led International Style yet shaped by many of the same principles.
Cultural institutions, film posters, publishing, and corporate identity programmes became the primary areas for this work. Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, and Stuttgart produced particularly strong design communities.
Explore designers central to this movement including Karl Oskar Blase, Otl Aicher, Anton Stankowski, and Günther Kieser. See also International Typographic Style (Swiss Style), 1960s Graphic Design, and Germany.
Design Archive Feature, Members Only Content, Poster Design, Regional Histories
Gebrauchsgraphik 08, 1964 features a selection of the German Posters entered into the 1963/64 awards. 22 posters were awarded by the Association of German Commercial Artists and the awards showcased some of the best poster designs of the year, that still remain effective and stylish today.
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Design Archive Feature, Illustration, Members Only Content, Studios & Collectives
Winter + Bischoff’s work blends fine art and graphic design and is a fine example of commercial design featuring a heavy use of stylistic illustration. In fact a lot of German graphic design in the 1960s has this strong relationship of commercial and professional typographic layout with the roughness and organicness of art.
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Design Archive Feature, Illustration, Members Only Content, Regional Histories
Illustrated tourist brochures designed by Hans Schmandt. Despite his contributions to publicity design, there is not much information about Hans Schmandt. His clients included Deutsche Bahn and the Trans Europe Express.
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Design Archive Feature, Illustration, Magazines & Publishing, Members Only Content
Last year (2024), I came across a selection of his design work for n+m: Naturwissenschaft und Medizin (Natural Science and Medicine) magazine. Erwin Poell's work for n+m magazine, which was published between 1964 and 1971 by C.F. Boehringer & Söhne, is a fantastic example of engaging and accessible data visualisation.
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Design Archive Feature, Members Only Content, Poster Design, Regional Histories
Gebrauchsgraphik 06, 1956 features a selection of the German Posters entered into the 1956 awards. It is unknown how many entries were submitted to the 1956 awards but a total of 21 posters were awarded.
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Advertising Design, Design Archive Feature, Members Only Content
A collection of letterpresses German brochures from 1959/1960 designed by Hans Geipel for Süddeutsche Rundfunk (SDR), the South German Radio Network based in Stuttgart.
Read ArticleDesigners like Karl Oskar Blase, Hans Hillmann, Otl Aicher, and Anton Stankowski developed a visual language that absorbed the grid and systems thinking of the Bauhaus tradition while allowing for more expressive, individual approaches to typography and image.
From the graphic design archive:
From the graphic design archive:
From the graphic design archive:
From the graphic design archive:
From the graphic design archive:
From the graphic design archive:
From the graphic design archive:
From the graphic design archive:
Illustration, Ephemera, Members Only Content
A mixed set of tickets from various Japanese lotteries dating from 1956 to 1985, including the Tokyo Metropolitan, West Japan and National Local Autonomy lotteries.
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Magazines & Publishing, Members Only Content, Typography & Type Design
The Face shocked the world of magazines, and the design industry, with its revolutionary design by Neville Brody.
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Members Only Content, Designer Profiles
A 1939 article on American designer, Walter Frank Bomar, published in The Inland Printer, Vol 104, No. 03, 1939.
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Design Archive Feature, Designer Profiles, Ephemera, Illustration, Members Only Content
Beyond his books, Dick Bruna's vivid colour and simplified forms found their way onto posters, packaging, murals and stamps, many of which feature in my growing collection.
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Members Only Content, Design Archive Feature, Designer Profiles
An article on Valentin Zietara , originally in German, published in Gebrauchsgraphik, 10, 1930, written by H K Frenzel translated by E. T. Scheffauer
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Members Only Content, Designer Profiles, Studios & Collectives
A 1903-1904 article on Die Steglitzer Werkstatt, originally in German, published in Deutsche Kunst und Dekoration, Vol. XIII, October 1903–March 1904.
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