Designer: Erik Nitsche

Erik Nitsche

Erik Nitsche studied at the Collège Classique in Lausanne, the Kunstgewerbeschule in Munich under Professor Ehmcke, and in Paris with Maximilien Vox. He worked with the printing firm Draeger Frères in Paris from 1929 to 1932 before freelancing and moving to New York in 1934. There, he became art director for Saks Fifth Avenue and worked with Bloomingdale’s, Macy’s, and Ohrbach’s, while overseeing ad campaigns for Douglas Aircraft, Scandinavian Airlines, and RCA Victor’s Record Review. In 1947, he was named vice president of Dorland International, handling art and industrial design. Nitsche later redesigned advertising for Filene’s, worked with the Museum of Modern Art, and led campaigns for 20th Century Fox and Decca Records. In 1953, he became a consultant for General Dynamics, designing the Atoms for Peace campaign in 1955.

Explore related designers including Josef Müller-Brockmann and Armin Hofmann. See also International Typographic Style and Swiss graphic design history.

Articles Featuring the Work of Erik Nitsche

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These advertisements marked a move away from the illustrated American ads of glamour and American life, and instead used modernist principles and illustrated animals and characters to have a friendlier, more distinctive style of communication.

Members Content

Erik Nitsche's notable book series, the New Illustrated Library of Science and Invention comprised twelve volumes and they are a fantastic example of how to design a perfect non-fiction book!

Artefacts Featuring the Work of Erik Nitsche

A History of Communication, Leisure Arts Limited, 1964

From the graphic design archive:

A History of Communication, Leisure Arts Limited, 1964

  • Format: Book
  • Designer/s: Erik Nitsche
  • Year: 1964
A History of the Rocket, Leisure Arts Limited, 1964

From the graphic design archive:

A History of the Rocket, Leisure Arts Limited, 1964

  • Format: Book
  • Designer/s: Erik Nitsche
  • Year: 1964
A History of Land Transportation, Leisure Arts Limited, 1964

From the graphic design archive:

A History of Land Transportation, Leisure Arts Limited, 1964

  • Format: Book
  • Designer/s: Erik
  • Year: 1964
History of Physics, Leisure Arts Limited, 1964

From the graphic design archive:

History of Physics, Leisure Arts Limited, 1964

  • Format: Book
  • Designer/s: Erik Nitsche
  • Year: 1964
Gebrauchsgraphik, 01, 1959

From the graphic design archive:

Gebrauchsgraphik, 01, 1959

  • Format: Magazine
  • Designer/s: Erik Nitsche
  • Year: 1959
Fortune magazine, Vol. 49, No. 2, 1954

From the graphic design archive:

Fortune magazine, Vol. 49, No. 2, 1954

  • Format: Magazine
  • Designer/s: Erik Nitsche
  • Year: 1954
Gebrauchsgraphik, 6, 1961

From the graphic design archive:

Gebrauchsgraphik, 6, 1961

  • Format: Magazine
  • Designer/s: Erik Nitsche
  • Year: 1961
Gebrauchsgraphik, 04, 1956

From the graphic design archive:

Gebrauchsgraphik, 04, 1956

  • Format: Magazine
  • Designer/s: Erik Nitsche
  • Year: 1956

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70 Japanese Lottery Tickets from 1956 – 1985

Illustration, Ephemera, Members Only Content

70 Japanese Lottery Tickets from 1956 – 1985

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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Neville Brody and the Face magazine

Magazines & Publishing, Members Only Content, Typography & Type Design

Neville Brody and the Face magazine

The Face shocked the world of magazines, and the design industry, with its revolutionary design by Neville Brody.

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Walter Frank Bomar, scanned from The Inland Printer, Vol 104, No. 03, 1939

Members Only Content, Designer Profiles

Walter Frank Bomar, scanned from The Inland Printer, Vol 104, No. 03, 1939

A 1939 article on American designer, Walter Frank Bomar, published in The Inland Printer, Vol 104, No. 03, 1939.

Read Article