A History of German Poster Competitions

In 1949, the competition “Die besten Plakate des Jahres” (The Best Posters of the Year) took place for the first time in the newly founded Federal Republic of Germany. Designers could enter poster designs from the past year, and a jury of experts awarded prizes for the best works. From 1966 onwards, an annual competition was also held in the German Democratic Republic (GDR). 

This book tells the eventful history of the competitions and their changing shape over the decades. More than 250 posters from 1949 to 2000 are included, a selection from the almost 4,000 works which won recognition. This volume serves as an inclusive German poster history, presenting lasting changes as well as transient design trends.

Includes works by Helmut Brade, cyan, Michael Engelmann, Frieder Grindler, Erhard Grüttner, Rudolf Grüttner, Hans Hillmann, Günther Kieser, Uwe Loesch, Holger Matthies, Pierre Mendell, Rolf Felix Müller, Volker Pfüller, Ott+Stein, Gunter Rambow and many others.

The A5 series is intended as a growing archive on the history of graphic design. Staff and students in the design department at the Fachhochschule Düsseldorf research, record, and illustrate visual phenomena from all spheres of communication design across the disciplines in the labor visuell (visual lab). 

Designed by Jens Müller

Published by Optik Books / Jens Müller

In German and English

Softcover, 128 pages, full color, 5.9 × 8.3 inches

ISBN: 978-3-00-053060-9