Poster design, Nehmt die Kinder mit!,

1944

Edi Hauri overlaid the portrait with an illustration of a moving train. The depiction of the train carriage, rails, and overhead lines in perspective gives observers the impression that the train is moving toward them from the left. The boy’s gaze follows the lines. The poster was submitted for the competition held since 1935 by the Schweizerische Verkehrszentrale; in 1944 the motto was “Nehmt die Kinder mit” (Take the kids along). During the years focusing on Geistige Landesverteidigung (spiritual national defense), a traditional illustrative approach was preferred in poster design. “Designs with photomontage, while not particularly requested, are permitted,” was the express guideline. For Hauri, whose work was almost exclusively illustrative, this poster paid homage to modernist graphics. It is notable that some of his contemporaries submitted drafts with similar visuals. However, the tourism office was not sufficiently impressed by any of the submitted works and in the end did not print any of the posters. (Bettina Richter)