By: Steven Heller
Heinz Edelmann, the chief designer for the animated film Yellow Submarine died on Tuesday. But hopefully he’ll be remembered for much more than this one cultural icon. I asked a few colleagues and friends to recall this master.
“Heinz Edelman was one of the most brilliant designers that Europe produced in the last century. He was a prodigious and skilled practitioner in all aspects of design, typography, and illustration,” says Milton Glaser. “He became famous because of his work on Yellow Submarine. But that celebrity actually obscured his real talent and imagination. His scope and skill went far beyond that one example. Without any doubt, he shall remain one of the shinning lights of design history.”
“Heinz’s work was the freshest and the most free of any illustrator I know,” adds Seymour Chwast. “His painterly style evoked color that was rich and sensual.”
“Personally, I lose much more than a design hero,” concludes Christoph Niemann. “I was one of many students who were fortunate enough to study with Heinz Edelmann at the Academy of Fine Arts in Stuttgart. He was a fierce craftsman and he has taught me invaluable lessons about typography, concept, drawing, and painting. But beyond being a unique designer, he was a true intellectual. He was all but a walking dictionary for art history, literature, and philosophy, and he had a unique way to seduce me into becoming a curious person.”
Heinz, thank you for all your contributions and inspiring work.