Even though digital visual stimuli are omnipresent, the printed poster still plays a major role in both design and publicity. A new book from Slanted Publishers examines the stories it has to tell and how its magic - literally - unfolds, which comes with a poster made of high-quality poster paper as a book cover.
The best poster designs from Düsseldorf University of Applied Sciences since 1968
Düsseldorf University of Applied Sciences, a place of innovation and creativity, has long been known as a breeding ground for outstanding poster design. Since 1968, artists such as Uwe Loesch, Fons Hickmann and Andreas Uebele have expanded and redefined the boundaries of poster design. Their works have not only adorned the walls of the university, but have also found their way into renowned collections such as the MoMA in New York and the Museum für Gestaltung Zürich.
Now these masterpieces are being brought together in a unique book, "The poster eats a surface". "Our rather large collection of posters presented here thus also provides an insight into the whimsical history of graphic design studies at the Department of Design at Düsseldorf University of Applied Sciences," reads the introductory text. "The one or other poster even became a collector's item and was honored with awards, some posters lived for a week, fulfilled their task and disappeared in all their beauty. Others were illegible but beautiful, stupid but legible, annoying but at least colorful. It was always about great content & words, form & important meaning. All these posters are now, in this book, cheerfully resurrected."
When the boundaries between posters and books become blurred
Conceptually, the book is not just a hodgepodge of posters, but a "poster novel" in the truest sense of the word. The pages are printed continuously and are treated like a galley proof. Texts and images extend over a continuous surface, which were later cut and bound into a book, blurring the boundaries between poster and book.
The diversity of the works is impressive. From abstract typographic solutions to powerful image compositions - each poster tells its own story and invites viewers and readers to immerse themselves in a world full of colors, shapes and ideas. Although they all come from different eras, they unite to form a harmonious whole that reflects the evolution of poster design over the years.
Behind the scenes of this extraordinary project are talented minds such as Victor Malsy and Uwe J. Reinhardt, who initially supervised the project as professors, as well as the designers Eric Fritsch, Filip Zdrojewski and Linus Knappe, who continued it. With great attention to detail, they not only selected the posters, but also conceived the design of the book itself. The result is a real feast for the eyes that captures the essence of poster design in an inimitable way.
"The poster eats a surface" is aimed not only at poster lovers but also at anyone who is enthusiastic about the power of visual communication in public spaces. It is a tribute to the creative freedom and tireless spirit of designers who know how to conjure up a work of art from a simple surface.
"The poster eats a surface", Slanted Publishers, buy here
Editors: Victor Malsy, Uwe J. Reinhardt, Eric Fritsch, Linus Knappe, Filip Zdrojewski, HSD PBSA Department of Design
Design: Linus Knappe, Eric Fritsch, Filip Zdrojewski
236 pages, offset print, book block with open thread stitching, poster index on DIN A2 affiche paper poster as book cover
ISBN: 978-3-948440-70-1
30,- Euro
To accompany the book, there is a website on which the team continuously adds posters
Here you can find a review of the "Yearbook of Lettering", also from Slanted Publishers
Our focus issue on this topic can be found here, Grafikmagazin 05.21 "Poster design"
