Advertising brochure, Geheimnisvoller Mond 1 – Medomin schlafbringend in der Nacht beruhigend am Tag,

1952

Doctors are regarded as well-educated and interested in culture. René Rudin, director of the Geigy propaganda department from 1941 to 1970, shared this view. Using company advertising that was both factually informative and artistically superior, he persistently tried to boost the medical professionals’ demand for Geigy medications. This included advertising cards delivered in the mail, sample packages, and scientific publications with advertising interspersed with the articles. The tranquilizer and sleeping pill Medomin, which was launched in 1942, was an international best seller on into the 1960s, even though doctors had to be constantly reminded of it. Nothing was better for this purpose than sending staggered, personally addressed brochures that disclosed the secrets of the sleep-robbing moon in stages. The six enchanting brochures, designed by Gérard Ifert, contain philosophical, astronomical, and historical cultural views of the natural satellite that are designed to appeal to both the scientific concerns and aesthetic tastes of the typical doctor. Each one of the brochure covers shows a moon phase, accentuated by the recurring slogan “geheimnisvoller Mond” (mysterious moon) in Akzidenz-Grotesk typeface. The adjoined covers reveal a photographic sequence of the waxing and waning moon, in the hopes that the doctor would want to save the complete series. The faces of women sleeping peacefully on the back of the brochures remind the doctor that Medomin helps to counter the insomnia-inducing force of the moon. (Barbara Junod)