Wolfgang Schmittel

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Wolfgang Schmittel (* 1930 in Frankfurt am Main ; † January 24, 2013 in Kronberg im Taunus ) was a German graphic designer , advertising specialist and photographer . Through his work as a designer for Braun GmbH , among others , he is considered the forefather of corporate identity and corporate design .

Wolfgang Schmittel studied painting and graphics at the Städelschule in Frankfurt (today the State University of Fine Arts). At the beginning of his work as a graphic designer , he worked for companies such as Resopal , for which he designed the business papers, advertisements and some brochures. From 1952 to 1981 he worked for the electrical appliance manufacturer Braun and designed the company's logo, which is still valid today. During his time at Braun, he had a decisive influence on the then new design concept in the area of ​​communication, which he designed according to the rational principles of Otl Aicher . In 1958 he became head of department under Fritz Eichler . From 1968, as Director of Communication, he was responsible for the overall image of the company for around 30 years - nationally and internationally. During this time, he also developed a new and uniform design concept for the Braun parent company Gillette (Omnimark). After working for Braun, he held several teaching positions, including at Ohio State University , USA. In 1982 he was appointed professor of graphic design at the Schwäbisch Gmünd University of Design . During this time he developed a new corporate identity for Creditanstalt (CA), one of the largest banks in Austria.

Wolfgang Schmittel also became known as a photographer - he was a. a. one of the hottest "jazz photographers" on the Frankfurt jazz scene. He photographed many of the greats of the time, such as Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald (Brochure See Jazz, Hear Jazz). In this context, the "Braun jazz advertisements" designed by him and revolutionary for the time should also be mentioned.

Awards

  • Federal Cross of Merit on Ribbon, awarded on March 26, 2010

Awards as a graphic designer

  • Silver medal from the Bavarian Advertising Association, 1960
  • Certificates from the Bavarian Advertising Association for exemplary advertisements in 1961, 1962, 1965
  • Winner of the German packaging competition, 1963
  • Gold medal 1965, Art Director's Club Germany
  • Eurostar, European Packaging Federation
  • Il Premio Compasso d'oro by La Rinascente
  • Diploma di gran premio, 12th Triennale di Milano

Awards as a photographer

Works

literature

  • Hans Wichmann: "Mut zum Aufbruch", 1998, Prestel ISBN 3-7913-2023-8 (pages 44, 46, 69, 72, 84, 87, 92, 246, 265)
  • Bernd Polster : "Braun - 50 Years of Product Innovations" 2005, Dumont Verlag, ISBN 3-8321-7364-1
  • Jürgen Schwab: "The Frankfurt Sound" Societäts-Verlag 2004, ISBN 3-7973-0888-4 (with pictures by Wolfgang Schmittel, among others)

Web links

swell

  1. ↑ Dieter Herbst: Corporate Identity , Cornelsen Verlag, Berlin 1998, quoted. according to Merck KGaA: Corporate Identity , www.merck.de (December 22, 2006) ( Memento of November 7, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
  2. ↑ Wolfgang Beinert: What is corporate design? Origin, history and definition of corporate communication, www.typolexikon.de, April 2005 (December 22, 2006)
  3. ^ Kulturkurier: "Original Resopal - The Aesthetics of the Surface" (December 26, 2006)
  4. ^ Polster, Bernd, 1952-: Braun: 50 years of product innovations . DuMont Literatuar und Kunst Verlag, Cologne 2005, ISBN 3-8321-7364-1 .
personal data
SURNAME Schmittel, Wolfgang
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German graphic artist, advertising specialist and photographer
DATE OF BIRTH 1930
PLACE OF BIRTH Frankfurt am Main
DATE OF DEATH January 24, 2013
Place of death Kronberg im Taunus