Karneval Düsseldorf ’73 poster
Poster for the Düsseldorfer Karneval 1973 that started on this day fifty years ago.
The design by local agency Kämmerling & Feser Werbung brings together Scheherazade from the One Thousand and One Nights folk tales (in a depiction that’s sadly equally orientalist and sexist) and Johann Wilhelm, Elector Palatine in the form of the baroque equestrian statue on the city’s market square, created by Flemish sculptor Gabriël Grupello.
The display typeface at the top is an interesting one, with roots in nearby Belgium: it’s a phototype version of Indépendant. Flemish artist Jos Dufour (1896–1976) and Dutch graphic artist Joan Collette (1889–1958) designed it collaboratively to commemorate the centennial of Belgian independence from the Netherlands in 1930. The Art Deco design was cast by Etablissements Plantin S.A., which ironically was the Belgian branch of Typefoundry Amsterdam. In this application, the s has two circular counters, unlike in the original, and the word “Karneval” got dressed up with colored stripes. There are various digital revivals and interpretations of Indépendant, including the caps-and-small-caps Jumbo Mumbo NF. See the typeface page for more options.
The motto of the carnival’s 1973 edition, “Fairy tales from 1001 nights”, is in Arriola Caslon, a swash-laden knockoff of Benguiat Caslon. Some of the small text is provided in German, English, French, and Dutch, and set in Univers.
Printed by Alfred Holle, Düsseldorf.
