Atoms for Peace^419
Erik NitscheGeneral Dynamics was one of the
wellsprings of design innovation. Formed
in 1953 as the parent for a number of
manufacturing firms that catered to the
defense needs of the United States, General
Dynamics’ products included atomic-
powered submarines, electric motors for
ships, the B-58 supersonic jet bomber, and
the commercial 880 jet transport. It also
sponsored research in electronics,
astronautics, aerodynamics, hydrodynamics,
and nuclear physics. In the mid 1950 s
nuclear energy was thought to herald the
new age, and General Dynamics’ president,
John Jay Hopkins, believed that his
company should be positioned in the
public’s mind as a purveyor of peace.
General Dynamics would benefit all
mankind through its scientific research, and
communicating this message was one of the
president’s primary goals.
Hopkins understood that a skilled graphic designer could
successfully forge and promote General Dynamics’ image, and so hired
Erik Nitsche ( 1908 – 1998 ), a Swiss, who had freelanced in the United States
since the 1930 s, away from the ad agency that originally had the General
Dynamics account. Working from his own studio in New York, Nitsche
had been responsible for some early ads and promotional materials that
wed abstract imagery to functional typography, which gave General
Dynamics its progressive image. Hopkins gave Nitsche complete freedom
to build a total graphic identity from scratch. He served as art director
between 1955 and 1960 and his identity program—which included posters,
advertisements, and annual reports—was a unique mix of modernism and
individualism.
In the spring of 1955 Nitsche was given the first major assignment
to design an exhibit that would have far-reaching implications for the
company. General Dynamics had agreed to attend the International