Julius Gipkens (1883-1968) was one of the masters of Plakatstil (Poster Style) in Berlin and an exponent of Lucian Bernhard‘s Sachplakat (Object Poster) methodology.
A self-taught artist, he founded a graphics agency, which designed for the Sarotti Mohr confection firm, Cardinal Cigarettes and the Leiser shoe company. He designed exhibitions for the House of Hohenzollern-Arts, was responsible for the looks of magazines, including the satiric journal Simplicissimus, and was a member of the Deutscher Werkbund. During World War I, he designed posters for war bonds.
Gipkens had a flat yet vibrant illustration and color style that fit perfectly into the zeitgeist. His work is history, but refreshingly today.
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