Shooting – Munich 1972, by Otl Aicher

This striking poster, designed for the 1972 Munich Olympic Games, depicts a row of rifle shooters in a synchronized position, their figures outlined in shades of blue, green, and orange against a light blue background. The design uses a screen-print effect, with high-contrast colour separations to highlight the forms of the athletes and their rifles. The Olympic rings and Munich 1972 branding appear at the top, alongside the stylized sunburst emblem of the Games.

The 1972 Munich Olympics were intended to showcase a new, progressive image of West Germany, contrasting with the militaristic past of the 1936 Berlin Games. Graphic designer Otl Aicher was commissioned to develop a consistent visual language for the event, characterized by clean lines, bright colours, and a strict grid-based system. Each Olympic sport was represented with its own distinct poster, utilizing Aicher’s signature minimalist aesthetic. Shooting, a longstanding Olympic event, has been part of the modern Games since 1896.

Otl Aicher (1922–1991) was a pioneering German graphic designer, renowned for his work in corporate identity and visual communication. A co-founder of the Ulm School of Design, he developed logos and branding systems for companies such as Lufthansa and Braun. Read more about Otl below.