Progressive German graphics, 1900-1937

Progressive German Graphics explores the aesthetic, historical, and social influences of the period between the two world wars as manifested in the German, as well as Austrian, graphic design of the day. Highly conceptual and geometric, this style has had a significant impact on modern design. This volume includes an array of posters, packaging, trademarks, letterheads, and advertising ephemera that exemplify this distinctive genre. At first glance, the most striking qualities of German graphics are their weight and severity. But behind the stern geometry are layers of complexity that belie a larger context: the Bauhaus and Constructivist movements, the Gothic Style, and Art Deco, as well as such historical influences as World War I, the Weimar Republic, and the 1936 Olympics.

Progressive German Graphics highlights numerous designs, many of which have never been published before in the United States. These artifacts reveal the development of German and Austrian graphic arts through the years of relatively free, creative expression, while the rest of the world still looked on in admiration.