Pierre Mendell Posters
Pierre Mendell Posters
V I G N E L L I
VIGN E LLI
C E N TE R
ROC H E STE R
FOR
IN STITU TE
D E S IGN
STU D IE S
OF TE C H N OLOGY
C E N T E R F O R D E S I G N S T U D I E S R I T
Pierre Mendell Posters V I GN E LLI
C E N TE R
ROC H E STE R
FOR
IN STITU TE
D E S IGN
STU D IE S
OF TE C H N OLOGY
Contents
Pierre Mendell Posters Vignelli Center for Design Studies Rochester Institute of Technology
v 1 31 53 67 74
2nd Edition
Copyright Š 2015 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any mechanical or electronic means without permission of the publisher and/or the copyright holder, except in the case of brief quotations.
Vignelli Center for Design Studies Rochester Institute of Technology 73 Lomb Memorial Drive Rochester, New York 14623-5604 vignellicenter.rit.edu
2nd Edition designed by Bruce Ian Meader
ii
iii
Pierre Mendell’s Passion Opera Museum Cultural Insitutions Social Themes Colophon
Pierre Mendell
Pierre Mendell’s Passion
Pierre Mendell was one of the world’s leading graphic designers. For almost 30 years he played a role in creating the visual identity of the Neue Sammlung– the International Design Museum in Munich. Over a period spanning more than 40 years, Mendell’s posters became a prominent feature in advertising columns and billboards around Munich; these included posters for museums such as the Neue Sammlung and advertisements for the Bavarian State Opera. For many years, Mendell’s posters were a prominent feature in advertising columns and billboards around Munich. Mendell died in Germany on December 19, 2008 at the age of 79.
Poster, as defined by the German Duden: A large thick piece of paper bearing text (and images) that is mounted in easily visible places for the purpose of conveying information, advertising messages, and/or political propaganda. One of my first impressions of Pierre Mendell was of him sitting at his desk, totally concentrated, cutting coloured paper with small scissors. After an hour or more a beautifully small design, a paper collage, lay on his desk under a piece of glass. It stayed there for up to a week. This was the first step in the process of an idea taking on a concrete form. Pierre Mendell and the studio worked on poster assignments for several cultural institutions, museums, theatres, the Munich Volkshochschule Community College, the Opera House, and many other companies. The beginning of the working process was a discussion with the client about the assignment and the theme. “The proof of the pudding is in the eating.” This phrase was often quoted by Pierre Mendell, meaning that the problem is an ingredient of the solution. Once a year, at the start of the new opera season, Pierre Mendell received a list of five to six operas. Most operas deal with the themes of love, power, passion and death, so it was important to read the libretto carefully to find the particular message and select some striking symbols. One assignment on this list was the poster for the opera Ulysses. Pierre Mendell had made several designs with torn paper, colored pencils and chalk. They were no bigger than a playing card. The design for Ulysses involved the idea of a tiny little island made of torn paper. They created a place of longing, situated on the horizon where the sky touches the ocean, visualized by two colour gradients. Already, the small design invited the eyes to look, and the mind to imagine the story.
iv
v
The second step, which Pierre Mendell always worked on together with one of his assistants, was to enlarge the little design. I remember tearing paper for hours to create the perfectly shaped island full of life. Several kinds of gradients were created at the computer and some colours were tested for the sky and the ocean. From time to time, Pierre Mendell gave his advice. This work in progress lasted days, sometimes weeks. At that time, we worked parallel on three or four posters. The result of this process was a collage in the format DIN A4 (8,27 x 11,7 inches). Over a period of 13 years, new ideas were found for the Bavarian State Opera. Over more than 25 years new posters were made for Die Neue Sammlung, the International Design Museum in Munich. Sometimes, it was difficult to find a big idea or the perfect form, and Pierre Mendell would say: “Es ist nicht jeden Tag Sonntag.” In English, this means that, “Christmas comes but once a year. You can only make 8 to 10 outstanding posters in your life-time and that’s a lot.” I think he did more. There were some other difficulties to overcome before the poster was able to start its life on the advertising column. The collage had to be scanned and digitally enlarged to the A0 format, for example. Pierre Mendell feared this would mean the death of the lively lines. Every detail had to be carefully reproduced. He always claimed that: “The printed poster is what people will see, and we are responsible for the result.” And it was not always easy to get the perfect result printed. I remember one time when it was not just right, and the whole edition had to be printed a second time. Pierre Mendell was a masterful designer and he worked with great passion. He once mentioned that all the posters were his children. It was always a great moment when the first printed poster came off the printing press – came to life; one more beautiful child. Annette Kröger Pierre Mendell Design Studio
Opera
1
Venus and Adonis 1996 The Bavarian State Opera
Katja Kabanova 1999 The Bavarian State Opera
2
3
L’Orfeo 1999 The Bavarian State Opera
Falstaff 2000 The Bavarian State Opera
4
5
Don Carlo 1999 The Bavarian State Opera
Ulisse 2001 The Bavarian State Opera
6
7
Tristan and Isolde 1998 The Bavarian State Opera
Aida 1995 The Bavarian State Opera
8
9
Slaughterhouse 5 1996 The Bavarian State Opera
Don Giovanni 1994 The Bavarian State Opera
10
11
The Threatened Murderer 1994 The Bavarian State Ballet
Macbeth 1997 The Bavarian State Opera
12
13
Der FreischĂźtz 1998 The Bavarian State Opera
L’incoronazione di Poppea 1996 The Bavarian State Opera
14
15
The Castle 1995 The Bavarian State Opera
The Flying Dutchman 2006 The Bavarian State Opera
16
17
Le Nozze di Figaro 1993 The Bavarian State Opera
La Traviata 1993 The Bavarian State Opera
18
19
Parsifal 1994 The Bavarian State Opera
Cosi fan tutte 1993 The Bavarian State Opera
20
21
Otello 1998 The Bavarian State Opera
The Rape of Lucretia 2004 The Bavarian State Opera
22
23
Saul 2003 The Bavarian State Opera
Giselle-Mats Ek 2000 The Bavarian State Ballet
24
25
Les Troyens 2001 The Bavarian State Opera
Rigoletto 2005 The Bavarian State Opera
26
27
Lulu 2003 The Bavarian State Opera
Gades 1987
28
29
Museum
31
Design Process Auto 1986 Die Neue Sammlung, Museum for Applied Art, Munich
Hans Gugelot, System Design 1984 Die Neue Sammlung, Museum for Applied Art, Munich
32
33
Marcello Morandini 1993 Die Neue Sammlung, Museum for Applied Art, Munich
Design is Art that Makes Itself Useful 1984 Die Neue Sammlung, Museum for Applied Art, Munich
34
35
Amish Quilts 1991 Die Neue Sammlung, Museum for Applied Art, Munich
Japanese Posters 1989 Die Neue Sammlung, Museum for Applied Art, Munich
36
37
New 1982 Die Neue Sammlung, Museum for Applied Art, Munich
Armin Hofmann 1989 Die Neue Sammlung, Museum for Applied Art, Munich
38
39
Polish Posters 1985 Die Neue Sammlung, Museum for Applied Art, Munich
I Love Design 1991 Die Neue Sammlung, Museum for Applied Art, Munich
40
41
Swiss Book Design 1994 Die Neue Sammlung, Museum for Applied Art, Munich
Horst Sch채fer, Architectural Photography 1997 Die Neue Sammlung, Museum for Applied Art, Munich
42
43
The Church and The Arts 1995 Die Neue Sammlung, Museum for Applied Art, Munich
Arne Jacobsen 1994 Die Neue Sammlung, Museum for Applied Art, Munich
44
45
Klaus Kinold, Architectural Photography 1982 Die Neue Sammlung, Museum for Applied Art, Munich
Design: Vignelli New York 1997 Die Neue Sammlung, Museum for Applied Art, Munich
46
47
Japanese Packaging 1993 Die Neue Sammlung, Museum for Applied Art, Munich
Closed 1984 Die Neue Sammlung, Museum for Applied Art, Munich
48
49
M채nner Kleider Japan 1998 Die Neue Sammlung, Museum for Applied Art, Munich
Museum of Tomorrow 1996 Die Neue Sammlung, Museum for Applied Art, Munich
50
51
Cultural Institutions
53
Kieler Woche 1986 The Sailing Regatta
Mendell & Oberer Graphic Design 1990 Stuttgard Design Center
54
55
Art Opens the Eyes 1989 Bavarian State Art Museum
Danilo Silvestrin 1992 Museum Villa Stuck, Munich
56
57
Deutsches Museum 1980 German Museum, Munich
M체nchner R채ume 1991 Munich City Museum
58
59
Thought 2001 Munich Academy of Adult Education
National Museum of Munich 1989 Bavarian National Museum, Munich
60
61
Mendell & Oberer Graphic Design 1980 Initiative of the Studio
Der Neuen Pinakothek 1990 Stuttgard Design Center
62
63
Mendell & Oberer Graphic Design 1980 Goethe Institute
64
Social Themes
67
All Men Are Created Equal 1995 Initiative of the Studio
Unicef 1993
68
69
Drugs! 1993 Initiative of the Studio
In English: Love 2008
70
71
Share 2004 Initiative of the Studio
72
73
Colophon
Pierre Mendell at RIT Vignelli Center for Design Studies Rochester Institute of Technology
Pierre Mendell Posters Vignelli Center for Design Studies Rochester Institute of Technology
1st Edition
2nd Edition
The original edition of this book was produced in Professor Nitin Sampat’s Workflow course in RIT’s School of Photographic Arts and Sciences by the following students:
Thanks to the follwing people whose contributions made this book possible: Annette Kröger Pierre Mendell Design Studio
Jace Artichoker Chrissy Connors Evan Darling Courtney DiStasio Karie Eng Colleen Mann
R. Roger Remington Vignelli Distinguished Professor of Design, RIT
Thanks to the follwing people whose contribution made this book possible:
Bruce Ian Meader Professor of Graphic Design, RIT
Annette Kröger Pierre Mendell Design Studio
Craig Smith Associate Vice President for Development, RIT
Nitin Sampat Professor of Photography, RIT
ColorCentric Printer
R. Roger Remington Vignelli Distinguished Professor of Design, RIT Bruce Ian Meader Professor of Graphic Design, RIT Merlin Digital Printing Solutions Printer
74
Nitin Sampat Professor of Photography, RIT