General Dynamics/First Steps into Space
Artist
Erik Nitsche
United States
Printer
Lithos R. Marsens, Lausanne
Date1957
MediumLithograph
Dimensions51 x 36 in. (129.5 x 91.4 cm)
ClassificationsPoster
Credit LinePoster House Permanent Collection
Object numberPH.1086
DescriptionFormed in 1952, General Dynamics was a relatively new player within the defense industry, acting as the parent company for a variety of corporations that manufactured everything from motors to supersonic jets. Its president, John Jay Hopkins, had broad ambitions for the organization; he wanted to create a marketing campaign that not only reinforced its role as a leader in the global marketplace but also emphasized its position at the forefront of scientific developments promoting international peace and prosperity. In 1955, a few months before the International Conference on the Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy in Geneva, Switzerland, Hopkins poached Swiss designer Erik Nitsche from Gotham Agency, an advertising firm that had worked independently for General Dynamics, making him its in-house art director. Nitsche’s first major project for General Dynamics was a six-poster series for the conference that perfectly merged sleek modernism with abstractions reflecting the complexities of science. In 1957, Nitsche designed a series of seven posters (including reissues with alternative titles of Basic Forces and Nuclear Fusion) for the Second International Conference on the Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy in Geneva the following year. Rather than retain the title “Atoms for Peace,” this iteration was presented under the headline “Exploring the Universe” and emphasized the company’s expansive research divisions.
This design is a before-letters proof missing the aforementioned title as well as the tagline “first step into space” that would appear in the lower right.
The image depicts an aerofoil, a cross-section of the wing of an airplane, being tested in a wind tunnel to determine whether or not it is properly aerodynamic. As General Dynamics owned Canadair and Convair in the 1950s, aviation development was a key component of its business.
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