Design Process Auto — Pierre Mendell (1986)
German designer Pierre Mendell was commissioned by Die Neue Sammlung — Munich’s international museum for applied art — in 1986 to produce a poster design to promote and advertise their ‘Design Process Auto’ exhibit.
The exhibition provided an insight into the design process of automobiles, illustrating how designs and concepts are progressively refined until they reach a final solution. This process of simplification is reflected within Mendell’s poster. Through his design he wanted to convey the idea of progression. Using photography and line conversion techniques, Mendell demonstrated the exhibits subject matter through reductive form and bold use of colour — a familiar style amongst many of his work. The completed design demonstrates clearly and concisely that all car design starts from a single basic principle: four wheels.
Mendell’s familiar style reduces subject matter to its bare attributes, by utilising strong geometric form, striking colour, unexpected juxtapositions and missing elements, he allowed viewers to discover the exhibition on their own without taking the freshness out of the subject.
By supplying the viewers with little more than the first stage of car design, Mendell is encouraging the viewer to participate and engage with the piece, inviting them to fill in the details with their own imagination. Mendell’s ability to include and acknowledge the viewer demonstrates how accomplished and skilled he really is.
Through his reductive style, Mendell went on to define a whole generation of printed promotional material for cultural institutions all across Germany, earning him a reputation as one the worlds leading graphic designers.
His posters characterised the appearance of many public cultural institutions and for almost 30 years, Mendell continued to play a key role in the visual identity of Die Neue Sammlung.
The work Mendell produced for these cultural institutions was entirely ahead of its time, today his work is considered to be some of the greatest instances of poster design in recent history. His subtractive design provided the basis for a truly individual signature, with such a vast, notable archive of work, Mendell will continue to influence for decades to come.
