Swiss graphic designer Celestino Piatti (1922-2007) was second to none in shaping the appearance of the West German paperback publishing scene.
From the inception of German paperback publisher Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag (dtv) in 1961 till the mid-1990s, Piatti handled the design of virtually every book the publisher produced. Besides designing the individual covers, he was also responsible for typography, the publisher’s mark, letterheads, advertisements and posters – a role that allowed him to craft a consistent corporate identity. The striking dtv books, all in white and all featuring Piatti’s characteristic illustrations, stand out as a milestone in elegant, high-quality book art in the paperback segment. Until Piatti arrived, the design of such books had revolved primarily around the individual title, which made it practically impossible to build brand awareness for whole series of paperbacks.
Piatti created more than 6,300 book covers, picture books and book illustrations in total. This cabinet exhibition presents a selection of works from his early creative period in the 1960s and 1970s.
For more information, please visit the University Library website.