This poster was composed by Armin Hoffmann of the Basel School in Switzerland. The Basel and Zurich Schools were involved in the development of the International Style of Graphic Design and Typography (commonly called the Swiss Style). I first learned of the Swiss Style when I took Graphic Design History in Fall 2010. I just fell in love with the style: the clean lines; lack of clutter; simple geometric shapes; use of photography; the "to the point" message. This poster has always been one of my favorites. My daughter is a dancer and it reminds me of how graceful, strong, athletic she looks when she does the perfect turn. The poster is very subtle and soft in nature even though it is in such a stark color scheme - black and white. It is a beautiful representation of dance.
This poster is an advertisement for the ballet Giselle. As I said, the Swiss Style just gives the facts. For example the location of the title. Giselle (probably Helvetica) is vertical, quite large, has very tight kerning, and is place on the very left and bottom margins of the page. It is the first thing that one sees upon looking at the piece. The location and dates are also in Helvetica in a tight block at the top left-hand corner of the page. The block is flush-left. The gorgeous picture of a ballerina caught in a turn: the movement of the dress can be seen clearly. But the ballerina is treated much differently than one would expect. It is in black & white and cast in shadow. Overall, this gives a beautiful, other-worldly effect for the poster.
Source: Meggs, Philip B. and Purvis Alston W., Meggs' History of Graphic Design 4th Ed., Wiley and Sons, Hoboken, New Jersey, 2006.
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