Krone Magazine

Page 1

SPRIN G 2016

ISSU E No.1



A NOT E FROM T HE WR I T ER

5 T HE K NOW NOT HING S ON

6 T HINK COMP O SI T ION

14 K RONE ON MESS AGE

22 S P R I N G

2 0 1 6

WRITER & EDITOR

FRED L AMECK

ART DIRECTOR

FRED L AMECK

K RONE IN COLOR

28 P OR S CHE INSIDE OU T

34 IN T ERV IE W

40 CLO SING T HOUGH T S

42 S OURCES

46 KRONE

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A NOTE FROM THE WRITER The Creative Revolution of the 1960s

driven, and often tried to reveal a central

brought us into the modern age of adver-

truth about the product. He had an ability

tising, and through the work of visionaries

to make brands standout out from their

like Bill Bernbach the environment was set

competitors by going against current visual

for the Art Director to finally take a more

trends. He was also known for convincing

prominent place in the agency hierarchy

clients to forgo logos in their advertisements

(Cracknell 55). Helmut Krone was one such

by using all the components of the ad to

art director who made a name for himself

cultivate the look and feel of the brand. Ac-

under the leadership of Bill Bernbach at

cording to Krone, “There’s a way of keeping

DDB. Krone was a first generation Amer-

the bottom of the page so clean and effective

ican son of two German immigrants who

that they know they can’t – they don’t dare

would eventually be inducted into the Art

– put a logo in.” He adds, “I don’t leave out

Directors Club of New York’s Hall of Fame

the logo. I give the client something better”

(Challis 63).

(Snyder 13). His large and diverse body of

Through his use of color, composition,

work spanning decades across multiple

and messaging Krone is able to create effec-

industries has made Krone a well-known

tive ads that clearly present a benefit to his

and highly regarded art director.

audience. Krone’s work was conceptually

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On July 16, 1925, on 68th Street and Third Avenue in New York City, Helmut Krone was born to Otto and Emilie Krone. He was the first generation American son of two recent German immigrants (Challis 1). His parents had a profound impact on his work philosophy. Krone said of his upbringing, “A German son is always wrong until he’s proved himself to be right. You tend to rework things and believe they’re never

THE KNOW NOTHING SON

good enough, because, after all, you’re a ‘know-nothing’” (Fox 266). From an early age Krone says he was attracted to design and creating. “I’ve never been interested in anything else. When I was five, I built with blocks. The other kids knocked it down. I built it again” (Snyder 13). Helmut Krone had a number of influences, but he lists Paul Rand and Lester Beall as two of his earliest because they “were famous, made money, did sophisticated things that looked like art but which had a life outside the galleries but which spoke to people.” Challis adds, “These were 18-yearold Krone’s heroes” (7). It was in Krone’s final year at The High School for Industrial Design that Paul Rand became the art director of the new advertising agency, William H Weintraub, and his work there influenced many designers going into the Creative Revolution (Challis 6).

Helmut Krone, 1941. New York City, 1954. KRONE

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Lester Beall, TVA 1939.

Lester Beall, TVA 1937.

Paul Rand, Apparel Arts 1938

Paul Rand, Direction 1940


“It was a time when doing unconventional things had a tremendous effect, and one person could influence thousands.”

After the Second World War, Krone started

functionality and beauty. From the street

to look for work armed with a portfolio that

developed the idea that the masses could

was a mix of industrial design and adver-

be won over by intelligence” (Heller 231).

tising. Krone describes looking for his first

This was a time poised for a rebellion,

job when he states, “The fashion agency

“with the icons of James Dean and Marlon

interview came first. They said: ‘We’ll pay

Brando to emulate” (Cracknell 72). It was

you $50 a week.’ I said: ‘Good, I’ll take it.’ I

an exciting time to work in advertising,

never went to the other interview. And I’ve

and designer Milton Glaser, cofounder of

never been sorry. In fact I’m happy that I

Push Pin, said, “It was a time when doing

didn’t spend my life designing flashlights”

unconventional things had a tremendous

(Vaske 229).

effect, and one person could influence

During the time Krone began his design

thousands” (Heller 231). With the lead-

career there was a Creative Revolution

ership of its co-founder and director Bill

happening in advertising, and the revolu-

Bernbach, a leading advertising agency

tion had a number of influences that set the

during the Creative Revolution was DDB.

stage. “From the Bauhaus came the idea that it was not important to distinguish between

James Dean, 1956. KRONE

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Helmut Krone’s 1940s Portfolio

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Bill Bernbach was a major fixture in the Creative Revolution starting the in the late 1950s and continuing into the 1960s. The creative work DDB produced under his leadership attracted Krone to advertising. Krone once stated, “Bernbach turned the field into a profession and suddenly it became OK to answer your kid truthfully when they said, ‘Daddy what do you do for a living?’” (Abbott 14). Bernbach helped place the role of art director on equal footing with the copywriter to create a new partnership. “To Bernbach, this fusion of writer and art director became so natural as to be unquestionably the way for creative people to work and for advertising ideas to be developed. It was the only way of producing complete ideas that are born from thinking of the way that words can most effectively combine with, and compliment, pictures” (Cracknell 55). Creative ideas were central to Bernbach’s philosophy on advertising, and it would be in this environment that Krone would do his most memorable work. Krone discusses working for Bernbach when

“To Bernbach, this fusion of writer and art director became so natural as to be unquestionably the way for creative people to work and for advertising ideas to be developed.”

he states, “When I first got into the business they wanted to know if you could lay down a number 2 wash evenly with a brush. Bill never asked anybody that, he wanted to know how they could think” (Abbott 15).

Bill Bernbach

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Helmut Krone, 1964.

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Under Bill Bernbach’s supervision in

“The clarity and simplicity never came easy

1959, Helmut Krone, with writer Julian

to him. Every ad was a struggle. Boiling

Koenig, developed one of the most fa-

ideas to their essence was hard on him and

mous advertising campaigns of all time,

everyone around him.”

Volkswagen’s Think Small. Krone said

Throughout his advertising career Krone

of Bernbach’s philosophy, “You were

would have a complicated relationship with

charged with dominating the medium.

“design,” which was indicative of a tension

If you had an ad in Life magazine, he

growing between advertising and the larger

wanted you to dominate the whole

graphic design community during the 1960s.

book. I once said to him, ‘You mean

“On the one hand, advertising became asso-

the editorial too, Bill?’ He said, ‘Why

ciated with commercial imagery whose bud-

not?’” (Abbott 15). Bernbach’s attitude

get and goals targeted a vast audience and

toward creativity and advertising had a

hence were subject to economic restraints,

profound influence on Krone. Fueled by

whereas on the other hand “design” willing-

Bernbach’s directive to “dominate the whole

ly leaned toward institutional and cultural

book“ Helmut Krone developed his own

sectors (allowing the fringe development of

attitudes and philosophies about design and

the notion of personal or politically commit-

advertising. Krone describes his approach

ted design)” (Jubert 316). Through his work

to art direction when he states, “That’s what

and his career Krone evolved from a young

I’m into. The most direct approach possible.

designer with heroes like Paul Rand to a

To be an anonymous art director, to make

dedicated art director who viewed design as

the concept come through” (Snyder 13).

tool used to solve problems, like in his work

Krone worked very hard to create cam-

for Avis and American Airlines.

paigns that would stand out. Cooke states,

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T H I N K

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COMPOSITION In the 1950s, if the American auto industry had a motto it probably would have been bigger is better. “And look at the cars Detroit was turning out. Big Cars. Long cars, retouched to look even longer in the ads. Cars for people who thought big” (Cooke). The stage was set for something different. In 1958, Sociologist and author John Keats stated, “You didn’t have to be that much better educated to appreciate the difference between what Detroit was pushing, and what was actually needed:… barely one-fifth of the Eldorado’s massive 503.1 cubic feet is reserved for human habitation” (Challis 56). Through his art direction of Volkswagen’s 1959 advertising campaign for the Beetle, Helmut Krone challenged the notion of big and tried to speak to consumers honestly. “At a time when advertising, particularly automobile advertising, idolized mythic perfection, this was the first time that an ad rejected pretense and hyperbole in word and picture” (Heller 231). Through layout, typography, and photography Krone created a campaign that would define the Volkswagen brand for years to come.

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“The accompanying copy was deadpan yet self-depreciating, tacitly assuming the readers intelligence.”

By today’s standards the layout of the Krone’s

The typography also places an important

Volkswagen campaign seems very tradition-

role in the advertising campaign. Krone

al, but Krone was intentionally playing with

chose Futura, a geometric typeface created

the convention of the traditional Ogilvy

by German type designer Paul Renner. It

Layout. “The layout Krone adopted for VW

reinforces simplicity of the layout with

was what everyone thought of as The Ogilvy

its clean crisp forms, which aligns with

Layout, the one he’d appropriated and given

the tone of the ad. Krone also wanted the

new life to with his campaign for Hathaway

body copy to reinforce the frankness of

Shirts” (Challis 61). Krone made changes

the messaging. “The copy would be in an

that transformed the layout, “The accom-

austere sans serif typeface with ‘widows,’

panying copy was deadpan yet self-depreci-

incomplete lines at the end of paragraphs,

ating, tacitly assuming the readers intelli-

to avoid symmetrically solid blocks of print”

gence” (Tungate 50). Krone was influenced

(Fox 256).

by two leading New York philosophies. “Bernbach’s, that creativity must bring dead

Krone purposely tried to move away from the colorful and stylized ads that

truth to life, and that art and copy working

characterized the American automobile

together was the way forward. And Ogilvy’s:

industry, and he utilized a more honest

that campaign’s which produce results don’t

approach.

draw attention to themselves” (Challis 61).

Chevrolet, print 1959.

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Oldsmobile, print 1959.


The man in the Hathaway shirt. Ogilvy, print 1955.

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Just like the car, the ad avoids the unnecessary, including color, allowing the viewer to focus on the imagery, composition and copy. “The photography, in intent, was a little more than a snapshot. Almost invariably Krone shot the car straight on to its front, back or side. Very rarely did he shoot the car from the ¾ view used by Detroit” (Challis 72). The first ad, “Is Volkswagen contemplating a change,” ran in Life Magazine in the summer of 1959 (Challis 62). The simple layout consists of a square image filling the top two-thirds of the page, and the lower third contains the headline and the body copy. The simple straightforward layout speaks to the brands messaging. “Is Volkswagen contemplating a change?” Yes, but it’s not stylistic or superfluous, and says in the copy, “None of these are changes you merely see.” The image of the cars is the most dominate part of the composition, and cars lead the viewer down to the headline and the body copy. There is a harmony and symmetry in the repetition of the large rectangular car shape. There’s not meant be mystery about what is under the draped car, and it plays into the viewers intelligence and sense of irony. “It was the first design of a national ad to reveal a decidedly American phase of modern thinking rooted in both economy and irony” (Heller 231).

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Is Volkswagen contemplating a change? Volkswagen, print 1959.


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The “Is Volkswagen contemplating a change?” was the first in the campaign, but it would be a reference to American’s most famous neighbors, “What year car do the Jones drive?” that would push the tone of the campaign forward in the summer of 1959. In this two-page spread Krone broke away from the two-third-photo single page layout established by the first ad. The photograph is still the dominant image, but the car doesn’t take up much space in the frame. This speaks to size of car, and the fact that even in its own ad the car doesn’t dominate to frame speaks to humility of the brand. The ad also takes the car out of the studio and into the neighborhood. “The natural environment provides an abundance of physical forms, patterns, and movements that establish rhythm” (Bowers 78). The suburban environment allows Krone to use the repetition of similar looking houses and the pattern of trees to let the car stand out as unique, and the lightness of the car contrasts against the surroundings. The image and the message try to get viewer to place the car in their own neighborhood, and hopefully in their driveway.

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What year car do the Jones drive? Volkswagen, print 1959.


Think small. Volkswagen, print 1960.

In the fall of 1959 Krone art directed an advertisement that made him famous. It told the audience to think small in world that praised the big. “’Think small.’ hit a raw nerve in late ‘50s American where positive thinking could only mean thinking big – and then bigger still. To read opposite, especially in the heartland of positive thinking, and advertisement – a car advertisement – felt like an incitement to treason” (Challis 69). Helmut allows for a lot of empty space in this composition. The large space reinforces the idea of the smallness of the car, which the body copy connects to fuel efficiency. Also, a sense of contrast is achieved through the light gray background compared to the black car. Although the car is small and only takes up a small amount of space in the frame, it is still the dominant image. “In the middle of magazines filled with colorful excess, he put a tiny, homely, b&w picture of a German car” (Cooke). All the elements of the Volkswagen campaign work to convey humility and cleverness. This is done consistently through a simple layout, stark black and white photography, and a clean typeface combined with smart headlines and copy.

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KRONE 0N MESSAGE

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Messaging is a central part of advertising, and Helmut Krone believed all the elements should support the concept. According to Krone, “Everything in the ad should advance the idea. Nothing should interfere with it” (Challis 118). In his work for American Airlines and Avis in the early 1960s, Krone pushed the boundaries of advertising art direction, and as we saw with Volkswagen, Krone avoids anything extraneous and tries to get right to the value or benefit to the consumer. American Airlines approached the advertising agency DDB in 1962, where Krone worked with copywriter Jack Dillion. They needed an ad campaign aimed at businessmen that would increase ticket sales (Challis 107). Throughout the campaign the primary elements were the headline, body copy, and simple imagery. In the first iteration, the imagery is two information graphics. The first graphic shows how much faster American’s new fan-jet engines climb compared to ordinary jets, and the other demonstrates the large size of their fleet. The simple layout, supporting body copy, and the incorporation of modest infographics communicate that these new planes are much faster and quieter but uses a straightforward

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“The theory behind Krone’s non-art directed looking art direction relied on having new and radical information to impart. ”

visual language that appeals to businessmen. “The theory behind Krone’s non-art directed looking art direction relied on having new and radical information to impart. Fan-jets were different, more efficient and powerful: you did take-off quicker, with less runway, and American Airlines did have more of them” (Challis 107). The information is exciting enough that the visuals can just layout the facts, and the composition is meant to be easy to decode and avoids any metaphors, like a business report (Challis 106). In the second iteration, “Dillion and Krone looked to the basic proposition: a way to give business travellers permission to indulge in the luxury of first class (and a way to get the increased expenditure okayed by their finance directors)” (Challis 106). In comparison to the first, the ad uses appropriated imagery. Denotatively, it is an image of the Russian army after its military took status away from the officers. Connotatively it communicates a sense of chaos and disorder. It is

Convair, print. 1960

reinforced by language in the copy that reads, “A man cannot think ‘poor’ on his way to the client and then turn around and think like vice president when he gets there.” It communicates to businessmen that they have an inherent special status and their flight experience should reflect that.

Caravelle, print. 1961

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American Airlines, “fan-jet story.” print 1962

American Airlines, “In, 1917, Russia…” print 1962

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The American Airlines campaign will begin Krone’s focus on creating copy-driven work with a pragmatic approach to his art direction. This carried over in his work for Avis in 1962. Krone states, “I’m not interested in beauty, I’m not interested in craftsmanship. The only thing I’m interested in is new” (Vaske 230). Partnering with Copywriter Paula Green, he developed a campaign that was driven by Avis’ position as second in the industry behind Hertz. “By admitting they were No.2 they gave everyone a reason to believe that they would try harder” (Challis 112). In comparison to his work for American, the initial layouts for Avis were more visually dynamic. “The first incarnation of the Avis campaign, big pictures and big type; a kind of mission statement aimed at the Avis employees as much as the car-renting public. It was used to improve standards and raise staff morale” (Challis 112). The campaign featured hands doing work related to maintaining a car, the hands denotatively illustrating the manual labor with a connotation of hard work. The photographic approach gives the sense of something being documented and factual.

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Avis, “Avis can’t afford thirsty radiators.” print 1962


“The Avis ads, they’re not very good looking. And that is what was good about them, that is was what made them stand out.”

In the second incarnation of the Avis No.2 campaign, Krone further develops his design philosophy on ”Avis is only No.2.” In response to the Volkswagen Beetle ad copycats, Bob Gage asked Krone, “How much smaller can headlines get before you can’t read them?” In an effort to stand out, he “very consciously did a layout with a big headline on top where it didn’t belong” (Snyder 13). And the standard layout of the campaign was very simple. It featured the large headline, body copy, and small image wrapped in the text. There is one photograph that depicts a hand holding up two fingers. The visuals in the ad are very direct and literal. It was subversive in its ordinariness. Krone received the most attention for his “Avis needs you. You don’t need Avis.” execution, done in 1963. The ad messaging is directed at the intellect of consumers and their ability to think in-

Avis, “Avis is only No.2.” print 1963.

dependently and make their own choices. There is a photograph of a hand pointing at the viewer that conveys a sense of direct address that is being used in language in the headline and the body copy. According to Bob Cage, “The Avis ads, they’re not very good looking. And that is what was good about them, that is was what made them stand out” (Challis 117). In response to some of his ads being a commercial success but not winning any industry awards, Krone states, “The Art Directors Club has never given awards for what I consider my shtick. It never gives awards for innovation” (Snyder 13).

Avis, “Avis needs you…” print 1963.

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KRONE IN COLOR In Helmut Krone’s Audi Fox advertising print campaign of the early 1970s he uses a lot of bold colors. Mike Managano, a writer working with Krone, explains his approach, “When we worked on the Fox [ads], he was very concerned about the stuff being loud and cutting-through” (Challis 170). With the foreign auto industry still being influenced by simple straight forward “honest car photography” made iconic by Volkswagen, Krone decided to move in a different direction (Challis 171). According to Krone, ”Everything in the car advertising looked factual and honest, shot with normal photography. So I decided, the hell with that, and went back to glorified drawn and airbrushed car illustration” (Challis 171). At the time, Krone’s type choice of Avant Garde also made the campaign stand out. John Bulcroft, who worked with Krone on the client-side describes the impact of the typography, ”It was unusual. It didn’t look like any other car ad, which I felt was important. Helmut was an art director who understood type” (Challis 171). Although designed in 1968 for Ralph Ginsberg’s Avant Garde Magazine, 1970 was the first time the typeface was made available for wide communication and commercial use (Lubalin 7). The campaign plays with allusions to the tradition of foxhunting. KRONE

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“Everything in the car advertising looked factual and honest, shot with normal photography. So I decided, the hell with that.”

Helmut Krone creates contrast and hierarchy through the use of color in his Audi Fox magazine print advertisement “Your Hunt Is Over.” An abstractly rendered, dark field of green grass takes up most of the space in the advertisement, but the main action is taking place in the top third of the spread. Avant Garde’s geometric letterforms contrast with the more organic shapes of the ad. A pack of brown and white hounds is circling the red Audi Fox, like they might do to a real Red Fox during at hunt. Krone used the complimentary colors of the green the grass and red of the car to create contrast in the composition. In comparison to the grass, the car is rendered more realistically with an attention to detail. The car lives in a physical space, which is achieved through the use of perspective, textures, shadows, and highlights. Krone continues the foxhunt narrative in “The Quick Brown Fox by Audi.” We see a consistent use of a desaturated color palette in the first two ads of the campaign, with a repetition of red, green, and brown found in both. In this ad, we can see elements of tradition-

Audi Fox, “Your Hunt Is Over.” 1973.

al foxhunting making their way in the copy. In comparison to the previous execution, he doesn’t use any abstract graphics, with the exception of the typography. The type takes up most of the two-page spread, and it becomes it own graphical element. Krone fills in letterforms and uses overlapping the play into the typefaces geometric forms, like the “O”s in Brown and Boot. The filled in letterforms connote bullet holes and reinforce the fox hunting narrative.

Audi Fox, “The Quick Brown Fox.” 1973.

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Helmut Krone did not just use earth tones in the Audi Fox Campaign. “For ’75, the Fox campaign moved away from expensive and slow-to-execute hound and Fox illustration and onto a new look – one that was quicker and cheaper to put together” (Challis 175). Using less complicated illustrations with fewer elements cut time and costs. In the “Corners on All Fours” ad, a bold saturated yellow snakes through the composition. In comparison to the very flat rendering of graphics seen in previous advertisements, the yellow line uses an increasing of scale as it moves down the composition to create

Volvo, “When We Can Make Volvos That Look Like This.” 1962.

a sense of depth. In this execution, Krone has chosen a very vibrant blue to illustrate the car, and it is also reflected in the type. The coolness of the blue contrasts with the equally vibrant warmth of the yellow, and the pure white background allows the design elements to standout.

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Polaroid, “Time-Zero.” 1980.

Polaroid, “Time-Zero.” 1980.

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“What looked like image developing w a s a l s o t h e a r g u m e n t d e v e l o p i n g .”

In comparison, Helmut Krone’s work on

elements, like a large headline or a logo.

saturated, and this works to create the feel-

Polaroid’s 1980 Time-Zero campaign used

We’re meant to just focus on the main two

ing of an image developing and the photo

more saturated colors to communicate its

elements.

process. In comparison, the execution with

central message, “Here’s color as you’ve

In the execution featuring the Toma-

the women the hat uses the same composi-

never seen it before in instant photography.”

to Polaroid, there is a flood of a saturated

tion and similar deep saturated colors, but

The campaign featured two-page spreads, a

bright hue of red that takes up most of

it uses more cool colors. The exception, the

single Polaroid photo on each page. On the

the composition, but through the central

saturated red used in the woman’s face. This

right is a clear colorful image, and on the

placement of the two images our eyes are

creates some contrast and brings the wom-

left, instead of the image, is copy discussing

drawn toward the center. The tomato is an

an’s face more to the foreground. This helps

the Time-Zero Supercolor film that uses

organic shape, and creates contrast to the

lessen the ambiguity of the image created

color in the type to give the impression of an

geometric square shapes that make up the

by the tight cropping of the image. Although

early image during the quick film develop-

composition. The white rectangular shape

Krone uses a simple composition with few

ment process. “The picture was the idea of

that makes up the Polaroid picture frame

elements, his expert use of color conveys the

the product incorporated into the plane and

works to bring the text and image to the

complex process of photo development that

the graphics of the page. What looked like

foreground. Krone has chosen a photograph

highlights value of Polaroid’s film.

image developing was also the argument

that uses analogous colors that gives a sense

developing” (Challis 210). Throughout

of harmony and includes the red of the

Krone uses color to reinforce the central

the campaign, Krone used a very simple

tomato, the pink lighting on the floor, and

messaging in the ads. In the Audi campaign

composition, where the geometric square

the purple background (Bowers 94). We see

he uses it to create a sense of speed and

and rectangular shapes that make up the

a repetition of these colors used in the typo-

agility, and for Polaroid, he uses color to

Polaroid pictures are centrally placed on

graphic recreation of the tomato image on

communicate the films quality and quick

the page adjacent to each other in a solid

the left, but through the white spaces in the

processing.

field of color. There isn’t a lot of extraneous

type the image has lower value and feels less

In the campaigns for Audi and Polaroid,

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PORSCHE I N S I D E  O U T In the late 1970s, Helmut Krone continued his art direction work for automotive client Volkswagen and developed a campaign for Porsche. Compared to previous work for clients like Avis, Krone turned towards design driven concepts, with the goal of differentiating his clients. “Right now, I’m using design, I’m the only one in hard-core advertising who is doing heavy design. (I also know how not to be a designer) I’m doing it knowing exactly why – because no one else is doing it” (Snyder 13). Krone’s central concern continued to be creating a “New Page,” and he employed whatever style needed to achieve something that would speak some truth about the product. “Krone’s major contribution to advertising art direction – to advertising as a whole – was that each product and its benefit contained an aesthetic truth. The job of the art director aided by the writer was to find it” (Challis 206). When it came to the concept for campaign for Porsche, Krone took a technical approach and continued to challenge common advertising conventions in order to create something new. “Knowing how his readers felt about advertising, he doubled his efforts to make ads that didn’t look or speak like ads. These efforts reached their zenith with his infamous ‘technical’ campaign for Porsche in the mid-70s.” Cooke continues, “They don’t look like ads. They don’t look like editorial.” Krone explains how he pitched the concept to the client when he states, “I sold them on an engineering concept with copy that’s almost indecipherable to the average person” (Snyder 13). Krone uses scientific signs and engineering language to highlight the beauty and complexity of the car but in a language that is suppose to be objective and unbiased.

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Porsche 924:Orientation 5. print

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“He wanted the layout to evoke the breathless feeling an automotive aficionado would get upon opening the hood of a Porsche for the first time”

Taking a closer look at Orientation 5 in the

used in automotive ads, but here it also

to favor compositions in which the parts are

series for Porsche 924, the advertisement

serves as a contrast to the more technical

related in some way yet different, however

focuses on the “Optimization of Vehicle

aspect of the ad. If the car were shot in a

subtle or pronounced” (Bowers 75). The

Aerodynamic Form.” Overall the layout of

studio, like some of the earlier Volkswagen

repeated lines in the graphic work to give a

the advertisement is complicated and so-

ads, it may have appeared as too clinical.

sense of volume and reinforce a sense of air

phisticated, just like a Porsche. “He wanted

The car is surrounded by graphical ele-

movement. Also, numbers are used to create

the layout to evoke the breathless feeling

ments. Integration of the type, graphics,

movement and a sense of cohesion. There’s

an automotive aficionado would get upon

and the photography give the impression

the dominant five serving as the headline,

opening the hood of a Porsche for the first

that the advertisement is meant to do more

the 924 model number, the numbers moving

time” (Cooke). There’s no big headline, just

than just show off an image of the newest

over the car, and the numbers in the graph.

a large five in the left corner signifying “No.

model, it is meant to inform us. This is also

The numbers surround the car give a sense

5 in a Series of Technical Papers.” Krone

accomplished by the inclusion an infographic

of movement as they take the viewer over all

stated that he “wanted to make the entire

at the bottom of the page that is so large it

the different parts and curves of the vehicle.

page like the car” (Snyder 13).

almost competes with the car. The com-

The numbers in the graphic do something

position creates movement with elements

similar as they move up and down, across

up the entire two-page spread, and the car

that are similar in form. There is movement

the bottom of the page. The first paragraph

is placed centrally. Krone places the car in

and a repetition of similar shapes with

of the copy states, “Air resists the movement

a mountainous outdoor scene that evokes a

the mountains in the background and the

of a vehicle passing through it.” The numbers

sense of freedom. This is a common theme

graph at the bottom of the page. “We tend

are moving towards the right and the car is

In the composition the photograph takes

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Porsche 924:Orientation 5, print.

facing towards the left, and this helps to illustrate the messaging in the copy about air resistance. In comparison, the body copy is fairly static, and it is neatly organized into a four-column grid. Helmut Krone also uses colors in the photograph and the graphics to create hierarchy and interest. Krone chose photography that had a “grainy, un-automotive look” (Snyder 13). The grainy photography is in contrast to the crisp and clear photography often used in automotive advertising. The colors in the photography are unsaturated and have a cool tone to them that gives the image a more mechanical look by using connotations associated with steel and metal. The unsaturated colors allow the imagery to fall to the background. There’s the light-blue gray of the sky in the top right, the cool dark-greys and browns of the mountains, and light steel cool tone of the car. This is in contrast to the saturated orange, a warm color and compliment to blue, that is used in the five and the pressures zones highlighted around the car and in the graph. It brings these numbers to the foreground. “Generally speaking, analogous colors tend to create harmony among elements and discordant colors create instability and movement” (Bowers 97). The orange is used to highlight parts car that were designed to reduce air resistance signify their importance to the viewer. White is used in the rest of the numbers and body copy, and we see a reuse of a saturated blue in the graph to signify low-pressure zones. Krone’s art direction creates an ad that is purposely layered in complexity in order to convey the complex engineering of the Porsche.

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KRONE

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Q&A: DEEANN BUDNEY Founder and Executive Creative Director of The Hive, a boutique advertising agency based in San Francisco Helmut Krone is a noted art director in advertising that began his career during the Creative Revolution. He is best known for Volkswagen’s “Think Small” Campaign. Why do think that campaign was so significant? It’s one of the first campaigns that used a conceptual idea to sell a product—not just the product’s benefits. And, it’s one of the first campaigns in which the idea transcended one ad or piece of communication, and worked across the whole campaign. Finally, the art direction stands out as one in which empty space focused consumers’ attention on the simple message. Do think that campaign has any relevance to advertising today? Yes, the campaign is still relevant today. It’s still great advertising—it’s timeless. In the 1950s, Bill Bernbach of DDB introduced the idea of a copywriter and an art director working in tandem to develop ad concepts. How do you think this new relationship impacted the art director role and how is that impact felt today?

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KRONE


This was a monumental change in how we made ads. It made

I’m not sure whether Glaser meant that these unconven-

the art director into an equal partner in the process, so some-

tional things were influencing the field (thousands) or the

one else’s ideas weren’t being “slipped under your door” to

consumer (millions). Let me take on the first. I do think inside

“wrist out.” And it gave the copywriter someone to think

the industry, everyone still watches their peers, and looks for

through the creative problem with, and someone to critique his

inspiration from them in creative thinking. Although much dig-

or her ideas. The quality of advertising ideas increased dramati-

ital advertising is much more transactional, great video ideas—

cally with this change.

and multi-media campaigns--are still celebrated.

Helmut Krone stated that he wanted, “To be an anonymous art di-

Roxane Jubert, in Typography and Graphic Design: From Antiq-

rector,” when talking about his approach to his work. Do you agree

uity to Present, describes a “rift” developing between advertising

with Krone, that an art director’s work should reflect the brand and

and graphic design during the 1960s where design was moving

not his or her personal style? Why or Why not?

towards cultural institutions and advertising was becoming more

I agree with Krone to an extent. First and foremost, your art

market-driven. Do think there is a tension that still exists between

direction should be in keeping with the brand you are commu-

advertising and graphic design? How do think advertising fits into the

nicating about. You can’t force-fit just any style onto a brand

field of graphic design?

that has its own look and feel. I see juniors in the business try to

The best ad agency art directors are great designers, too.

do that all the time—pick overly trendy fonts or photography

But it’s not a requirement. Many agencies don’t care about

for a classic packaged goods brand, for instance.

design much, and tend not to hire craftspeople. And so, many

But, all that said, inevitably, your own design preferences do show up in your larger body of work. And, once you’ve been in

of the art directors with design skills have left the field as the budgets for print advertising have dried up.

the business for a long while, clients choose to work with you

The more media types there are for art directors to design,

based on what they see in your portfolio—which can’t help but

the less they are specialists in any one field. In the last centu-

reflect you. So, you won’t end your career anonymous, but you

ry, you built your whole career on designing in an 8.5x11 or

should start your career that way.

17x11. Now, there are fewer standards and several more one-off

The 1960s advertising world was dominated by white male

advertising design assignments (a page takeover for a specific

creatives in search of the “big idea,” combining beautiful imagery

digital news site, a teeny animated banner for smart phones, a

and smart copy. When discussing the Creative Revolution, Milton

digital bus shelter, etc.) There’s a lot more to do, so you have a

Glaser stated, “It was a time when doing unconventional things had

tendency to do each thing a little less well.

a tremendous effect, and one person could influence thousands.” Is that still true in today’s advertising environment? Why or why not? Well, not that much has changed regarding the gender and

Good art directors have always looked up to graphic designers for their ability to make something beautiful out of something commercial. And yet, they’ve looked down on designers for

race of the majority of creatives, but I think that is a different

being less conceptual, and more “decorators” than thinkers.

subject!

I don’t see that as changing.

KRONE

41


Helmut Krone, 1995.

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KRONE


CLOSING THOUGHTS Helmut Krone’s long career in advertising

visuals and the copy compliment each other

shows just how much a designer’s philoso-

(Cracknell 55). Bernbach as challenged his

phy and views can evolve over several years.

teams to “dominate the medium,” meaning

He began his career with prolific graphic

making ads that stand out even from the

designers Paul Rand and Lester Beall as

editorial content (Abbott 15). It was through

major influences (Challis 6). Like them, he

this type of leadership and environment that

wanted to create “sophisticated things that

Krone art directed the Volkswagen cam-

looked like art but which had a life outside

paign that began in 1959.

the galleries but which spoke to people”

Through the use of layout, typography,

(Challis 7). It was this approach that initially

and photography Krone created an adver-

drew him to design and would eventually

tising campaign that would define the Volk-

lead him to a career in advertising. During

swagen brand for years to come. The “Think

the time Krone was beginning his design

small” ad challenged the notion that big is

career there was also a Creative Revolution

better and tried to speak to consumers hon-

happening in advertising that was influ-

estly. Layout and composition were central

enced by the Bauhaus and its emphasis on

parts of the ads success, with Krone appro-

functionality and beauty as well as a cultural

priating The Ogilvy Layout and reimaging it

desire for rebellion (Heller 231).

(Challis 61). The smart copy and the visual

Bill Bernbach really attracted Krone to

elements work together effectively, and in

advertising. Krone states, “I never con-

the company of colorful big-car automobile

sidered working in advertising before he

ads, it stood out without aggressively trying

started his agency.” (Abbott 14). He also had

to draw attention to itself. We see Krone

a profound impact on the development of

differentiate brands thorough his clever art

Krone’s evolving philosophy and believed

direction repeatedly in his career.

in fresh ideas (Cracknell 5). Bernbach also

Borrowing from Bernbach’s emphasis on

placed the art director on equal footing with

fresh ideas and the importance of dominat-

copywriter, and he believed this to be only

ing the medium, Krone developed his “New

way to produce complete ideas where the

Page” philosophy through his work with

KRONE

43


“I’m not interested in beauty, I’m not interested in craftsmanship. The only thing I’m interested in is new” American Airlines and Avis. In these two campaigns we see Krone intentionally moving away from design-driven executions, the messaging and the copy drive the ads forward and the visuals are purposely placed secondary. Krone is more concerned about creating effective ads than putting his style of design into his work. He wants to be the “anonymous art director” (Snyder 13). He states, “I’m not interested in beauty, I’m not interested in craftsmanship. The only thing I’m interested in is new” (Vaske 230). Krone isn’t interested in making ads to impress other art directors, he’s interested in creating ads that stand out and appeal to the consumer. In this case of American Airlines, it was a composition that mimicked business reports, and for Avis, he wanted to revisit The Ogilvy Layout he used for Volkswagen and turn it on its head. Krone’s attitude during this time is indicative of a “rift” that was happening between advertising and graphic design. “It may seem paradoxical that such a split should have occurred where advertising and commercial graphics displayed such remarkable concern for (typo) graphic quality. Yet right from the mid-1950s, Paul Rand himself expressed great reservations about his own work in the advertising field” (Jubert 316). Krone, who once considered himself a Bauhaus designer, for a time believed “beauty” was unnecessary for effective advertising. He also lamented that the Art Directors Club never gave him awards for work that he considered be innovative (Snyder 13). Krone states, “I don’t think that advertising is an art form. I did for long time” (Vaske 232).

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KRONE

Helmut Krone


To Krone, “Art was what he created late a

any of his ads. As Krone was inducted into

night in his studio with paint brush. He was

the Art Directors Club of New York’s Hall

exceptionally clear that advertising has a

of Fame he stated, “I’ve spent my whole life

secular purpose” (Cooke).

fighting logos. Logos say I am an ad. Turn

Despite his talk of advertising as not

the page” (Challis 63). We see how he suc-

being an art form, Helmut was extremely

cessfully cultivated a brand without the use

dedicated to his craft. Krone states, “An art

of logos through the featured campaigns of

director sits down with a writer, and they

American Airlines, Avis, Audi Fox, Polaroid

get a concept, they put it down with color

and Porsche.

marker. They’ve done their job. For me,

More than just cultivating a brand with-

that’s where it starts” (Snyder 13). Perhaps

out logos, he worked diligently to highlight

it was his upbringing as the “know-noth-

and elevate a product’s benefit to try to ar-

ing” son of two recent German immigrants

rive at its “aesthetic truth” (Challis 206). He

that fostered such strong work ethic and a

did this by employing all the components of

very pragmatic approach to advertising and

an ad, be it the layout, typography, photog-

design (Challis 1).

raphy, illustration, color, composition, and

Beyond a dedicated work ethic and a shifting view of design, Krone also leaves us

messaging in order to create ads that would grab the audience’s attention.

a lesson on branding. He rarely used logos in

KRONE

45


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York: Wiley, 2008. Print.

From Antiquity to Present. Paris: Flammarion, 2006.

CHALLIS, Clive. Helmut Krone, the Book: Graphic

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LUBALIN, Herb. “Is Avant Garde avant garde?” U&lc

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Advertising Age. Crain Communications, 29 Mar. 1999. Web. 10 Sept. 2015.

TUNGATE, Mark. Adland: A Global History of Advertising. London; Philadephia, PA: Kogan Page, 2013.

CRACKNELL, Andrew. Real Mad Men: The Remarkable True Story of Madison Avenue’s Golden Age. London: Quercus, 2011

VASKE, Herman. Standing on the Shoulders of Giants: Herman Vaske’s Conversations with the Masters of Advertising. Berlin: dvg, Die Gestalten Verlag, 2001. Print.

FOX, Stephen R. Mirror Maker: A History of American Advertising and its Creators. New York: Marrow, 1984. Print.

IMAGE SOURCES CHALLIS, Clive. Helmut Krone, the Book: Graphic

LICHTENSTEIN, Roy. James Dean in the set of Giant

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Cambridge Enchorial, 2005. Print. Pages: 6, 8, 11, 12, 16, 17, 18, 20, 21, 22, 24-32, 36, 38, 39, 42, 44. HEIMANN, Jim. 50s - All American Ads. Köln: Taschen, 2002. Print. Page: 15. HEIMANN, Jim. 60s - All American Ads. Köln: Taschen, 2002. Print. Pages: 24.

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Mar. 2016. Page: 34. O’LEARY, Noreen. Portrait: The Hive. AdWeek.com. 19 Oct. 2012. Accessed 20 Mar. 2016. Page: 40. VAN VECHTEN, Carl. View from 9D, 146 Central Park West, New York City. 1880-1964. American scenes.

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PORSCHE 924 GTP 1980. favcars.com. Accessed 02




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