Der Film | 1960

Der Film - Kunstgewerbemuseum Zürich, 1960, by Josef Müller-Brockmann

This striking minimalist poster features a black background with the title "der Film" displayed prominently in large, light grey lowercase letters across the centre. The typography has a distinctive overlapping, semi-transparent effect that creates a sense of movement, mimicking a film sequence in motion. At the top of the poster in small red type appears "Kunstgewerbemuseum Zürich Ausstellung" (Museum of Applied Arts Zurich Exhibition), while the bottom section contains the exhibition dates "10. Januar bis 30. April 1960" and the museum's opening hours in the same red typography. The contrast between the stark black background, the ghostly grey letters, and the precise red text creates a powerful visual statement that exemplifies the International Typographic Style.

The "Der Film" exhibition was held at the Kunstgewerbemuseum Zürich (now known as the Museum of Design Zürich) from January 10 to April 30, 1960. For this exhibition focusing on cinema, Müller-Brockmann created both the poster and catalogue with the same typographic treatment. To achieve the cinematic effect, he "exposed the poster title, set in Akzidenz-Grotesk type, on photographic paper in various positions and degrees of sharpness and overpainted it with opaque white until he achieved the desired effect of a horizontally moving film title sequence." This poster represents Müller-Brockmann's embrace of "graphic reduction" in the late 1950s and has become one of his most acclaimed and recognizable works.

Josef Müller-Brockmann (1914-1996) was a Swiss graphic designer, author, and educator who became a pioneering figure in the International Typographic Style. Born in Rapperswil, Switzerland, he studied architecture, design, and art history at both the University of Zurich and the Zurich University of the Arts. In 1936, he established his Zürich design studio specializing in graphic design, exhibition design, and photography. By the 1950s, he was recognized as the leading practitioner and theorist of Swiss Graphic Design. Müller-Brockmann was also a founder and co-editor of the influential trilingual journal Neue Grafik (New Graphic Design) from 1958 to 1965, which spread the principles of Swiss Design internationally. His work with grid systems, which he adapted from architectural principles, revolutionized graphic design, providing a rational framework that enabled designers to create cleaner, more focused work.