Design Is Art That Makes Itself Useful

The striking manner in which the Neue Sammlung’s motto “Design ist Kunst, die sich nützlich macht” (design is art that makes itself useful) is illustrated in printed form is characteristic of the work of the Mendell & Oberer studio, which has been responsible for the museum’s image for 15 years now; several of the posters designed for the Neue Sammlung have been included in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York. It is the spiritual mindset that distinguishes good graphic design: stringent, reduced in form, at all times powerful, never faking anything. This was the basis for a truly individual signature of the highest quality, one that is flexible in its response to the specific task at hand and thus satisfies the wishes and requirements of a wide variety of clients from the worlds of industry and culture. For this reason the numerous posters designed by Mendell & Oberer are so simple, yet convincing, and, despite referencing a particular event and thus wholly up to date, are nonetheless of relevance long after the event.