A black and white photograph of a hand emerging from a book to grip its own cover. The spine of the book features the text “S. Fischer”.

Amazing 1970s publishing posters from German designer Gunter Rambow

Words: Rob Alderson
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Date: 22 July 2014; Work
Graphic Design

If you aren’t familiar with The Casual Optimist blog about publishing and book culture then it’s well worth checking out (I’ll wait). Anyway last week its author shared these amazing posters created by the leading German graphic designer Gunter Rambow for the S. Fischer Verlag publishing house back in the 1970s. What’s interesting is that some of them tiptoe right up to the edge of being gimmicky, but always stay the right side of the line thanks to Gunter’s unerring image-making brilliance. I really can’t get enough of these.

A black and white image of a thick book standing upright. The cover features a photograph of a hand gripping the book, with the text “S.FISCHER” printed across the top. — Above
Gunter Rambow: S. Fischer Verlag poster

Above

Gunter Rambow: S. Fischer Verlag poster

A black and white image of a hand holding a fountain pen, emerging from the pages of an open book. The pen writes a signature that reads “S. Fischer” on the surface below. — Above
Gunter Rambow: S. Fischer Verlag poster

A black and white advertisement shows a lightbulb hanging from the top of an open book. The bulb glows brightly, casting a white light across the pages and the dark background. The name “S. Fischer” is printed at the bottom. — Above
Gunter Rambow: S. Fischer Verlag poster

A black and white image of a brick wall with a large open book embedded in the masonry. The book's pages form a window frame, revealing a bright sky with fluffy clouds. — Above
Gunter Rambow: S. Fischer Verlag poster

A 3D render of a thick, white book standing open to form a right angle. The pages create a sharp, architectural shape against a gradient background that fades from black to white. — Above
Gunter Rambow: S. Fischer Verlag poster

A black and white image of a hand emerging from the spine of a book to grip its cover. The spine features the text “S. Fischer” in a white sans-serif font. — Above
Gunter Rambow: S. Fischer Verlag poster

Further Info

www.gunter-rambow.com

About the Author

Rob Alderson

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Rob Alderson is a freelance writer, editor and strategist. He was previously editor-in-chief of It’s Nice That and WePresent, and editor of Design Week. He publishes the newsletter Undo, which tries to make sense of how AI is changing design work, the design process and the design industry.

Amazing 1970s publishing posters from German designer Gunter Rambow

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