In 1952, the eminent designer (and our all-time hero) Alvin Lustig was invited to create the cover for Fortune magazine’s September issue featuring a revolutionary article about the language of advertising.
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Lustig was one of the leading figures of America’s creative revolution in the 1940s-50s, a prelude to the explosion of the advertising industry brought about by TV’s new forms of storytelling in the 1960s and onwards.
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Proclaiming he was “born modern,” Lustig pushed the boundaries of Modern design by experimenting with abstract geometric designs and ornamental typeface. He wanted to challenge the aesthetic vision of America’s traditional West Coast design establishment, and succeeded in offering a more meaningful visual language than any other designer of his time.
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Like us at Château Cramirat, Lustig believed that design can change the world.
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He was celebrated for revolutionizing book jacket design in the 1940s, masterfully incorporating principles of modern art into commercial art. By harnessing the power of art for mass communication, he tried to position book jackets as the American counterpart of the glorious European poster tradition.
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The Fortune September 1952 issue included an article that assessed the language used by American advertisers to spin promotional stories, intending to sell as many consumer goods as humanly possible. In all his work, Alvin’s approach was to capture the author’s key message visually, and for the Fortune issue content, he contrasted advertising cliches against whimsical geometric shapes, exposing the industry’s overused stereotypical phrases.
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The Château Cramirat Collection is a treasure trove of art and design by philosopher Anna Ravitzki and designer Dan Alexander, housed in a 12th-century Templar landmark in the Valley of Mankind, Périgord, France.
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Lustig, Alvin (cover). The Language of Advertising. Fortune Magazine. September 1952. NY: Time, Inc., 1952.
