Plakatstil

style c. 1905-1920 Germany Europe

Plakatstil - literally 'poster style' - was the early modern German school of advertising poster design, born in Berlin around 1905-1906 and named for its own appearance. Where Art Nouveau posters overflowed with ornament, illustration, and text, Plakatstil stripped the page to a single simplified object, flat areas of bold color, and eye-catching hand lettering, so the product announced itself at a glance from a city street. It began when the young Lucian Bernhard won a poster competition sponsored by the Priester match company with a design of just two matches and the brand name, launching both his career and the closely related Sachplakat ('object poster') style. Printed by firms such as Hollerbaum & Schmidt and championed by the magazine Das Plakat (1910-1921), its radical economy of means made it a foundation of modern graphic design.

Advertising poster related to German car manufacturer Opel , designed around 1911 by Hans Rudi Erdt . Lithograph, 27 x 36½ in. (69 x 93 cm.)
Advertising poster related to German car manufacturer Opel , designed around 1911 by Hans Rudi Erdt . Lithograph, 27 x 36½ in. (69 x 93 cm.)Public domain (credit: Hans Rudi Erdt) · source

Defining characteristics

  • Extreme simplification: one central object - usually the product - carrying the whole composition
  • Flat, unmodulated fields of bold, high-contrast color
  • Bold, hand-drawn lettering integrated with the image; minimal text
  • Deliberate rejection of Art Nouveau ornament and pictorial narrative
  • Instant legibility at street distance, designed for advertising columns and billboards

Key figures

  • Lucian Bernhard (1883-1972) — Berlin designer whose Priester match poster founded the style and later the Sachplakat
  • Ludwig Hohlwein (1874-1949) — Munich poster artist and Sachplakat pioneer known for flat cut-out color shapes
  • Hans Rudi Erdt (1883-1918) — Hollerbaum & Schmidt designer celebrated for innovative poster typography
  • Julius Klinger (1876-1942) — Austrian commercial graphic artist and typographer among the style's leading figures

Example works

  • Priester match poster — Lucian Bernhard (1905-1906)
  • Opel advertising poster — Hans Rudi Erdt (c. 1911)
  • Adler Typewriter poster — Lucian Bernhard (1909-1910)

Sources

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