inks: they will have a boring uniformity. The purpose of a poster - to
attract - can hardly be achieved in this way •
In addition. to surround the type as usual with borders uses up part of the
space - which leads to smaller sizes of type, which also. because of the
borders. look smaller. Perhaps originally all typo-posters were printed on
white paper. so that their edges had to be marked. The fact that today
posters can be distinguished from other matter by the use of different
coloured papers removes the need to use borders. About another impor
tant yet almost never used method to make typo-posters more effective I
will speak later.
Very heavy display lines. characteristic of typo-posters. lead to strong con
trasts which contradict the nature of the old typography. Only the new laws
of typography allow the rhythmic setting together of large and small lines
of type. The asymmetric construction of the new typo-poster also helps the
purpose better because the lines can be grouped in such a way as to make
reading easier. The need to use large type for important matter. smaller
type for less important matter. gives today's pr1nters the opportunity for
greater intensity of typographic expression. The possibilities for variety
afforded by asymmetric design are incomparably greater than those possi
ble in the old symmetrical typography.
It goes without saying that for posters the clearest typeface, sanserif. is
the only one that is right. After that come egyptians. bold roman, or Aldine.
Fraktur, gothic, italic, and similar faces are too difficult to read. They can
sometimes be used to parody a text (for Nationalism. gothic and fraktur;
for over-sentimentality perhaps a comic cursive, etc.). These are however
rare exceptions. whose use must be l1mited to single lines. to show the
contrast with sanserif. the type of our time. which in general must be used
in all circumstances.
W1th the given text and clear type a plain. strong typographic form can be
obtained. In this way. often type alone can be used successfully, as in the
"Fortbildungskurse" poster (p. 175). But it may also happen that to achieve
a desired effect, borders. arrows. even circular shapes. must be introduced.
However. circles must never be used as decoration. as one unfortunately
sees so often in present-day well-meaning and apparently simple posters (I
- The art1sts of the pre-war penod produced. as opposed to typo-posters either well or badly set.
posters drawn in extr avagant letterforms. wh1ch relied for the1r effect on unusual kinds of letter
ing. Such posters depend on the availabil1ty of a su1table artist. and the carry1ng out of the
design 1s compl1cated by the use of lithographiC stone or linoleum. The results can rarely be
interesting and hardly ever effective. It is naive and wrong to try to work with the pretentious
means of spec1al (=less leg1ble) kmds of lettering.