Design
More than in any other kind of printing, poster design requires the
strongest effect and utmost clarity. Unfortunately most of today's posters
have neither. I am far from blaming the compositors for this, because I
know the difficulties that militate against their efforts to produce good
designs. The tempo in which posters are set and printed in the cities' print
ing works are against it. But such difficulties are not insuperable. In the fol
lowing pages I try to give some guidelines for the design of typo-posters.
A basic fault in nearly all typo-posters is the retention of conventional cen
tred typography. In the beginning, posters were modeled on title-pages,
taken from old book-design, and this still happens today. In order to make
a poster stand out from its neighbours. it was usually given more or less
hideous border rules.
By following the still-prevalent principle of centred typography, modern
posters cannot be effective - unless by using unusual coloured papers or
FoRTBILDUNGSKURSE
DER STADT MUNCHEN
FUr Handlungsgehilfen:
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JAN TSCHICHOLD: The same poster redesigned.
Practrcal. lucrd appearance_ Type used rn the earlrer poster has been mostly retained_ The effect
is garned ch1efly by contrasts in type sizes and the use of space. The large Fused as eye�
catcher. It can be seen how unimportant "beautrful type" rs.