Schluss mit der Schwarzmalerei!

Schluss mit der Schwarzmalerei! (Poster)

I got asked to participate in a poster project fort he city of Heidelberg in Germany.They organized a poster action and they wanted to post a series of designs with political messages. The theme of the action was defined as “Courage for Rage”.

As a human person I feel more positive than destructive. I hate the pessimistic statements in the political commentaries of today.

I decided to do a poster with a more positive approach. “Schluss mit der Schwarzmalerei” is a common term in German language. It means “Enough of that Doom and Gloom”! I realised the execution of that content in a very angry way, let’s say: with enough rage. The result touched the passers by in Heidelberg and I got a few very nice reactions on my poster. The moral of that story: Think positive!

Niklaus Troxler

Born in Willisau/Switzerland in 1947. Studied Typography in Lucerne, then Graphic Design at the Art School of Lucerne. After studies Art Director in Paris.

Own graphic design studio since 1973. Organizer of jazz concerts (since 1966) and an annual Jazz Festival (1975-2009) in his home town Willisau.

His many awards include «Toulouse Lautrec-Gold Medal» at the Essen Poster Triennale (1987 and 1994), the First Prize at Chaumont Poster Festival (1992), the Gold Prize at Lahti Poster Biennale (1993), the 1st prize at Helsinki Poster Biennale (1997), the 1st Prize at Trnava Poster Biennale (1997), First Prize at Hongkong Poster Trienniale (2001), Grand Prize at 1st China International Poster Biennial in Hangzhou (2001), Golden Bee Moscow Poster Awards (2004, 2006, 2008), Grand Award at Colorado Invitational Poster Biennial (2005), Grand Prize at Taiwan International Poster Design (2005), Grand Award at Ningbo International Poster Biennial (2006), Grand Prize and Icograda Excellence Award at Zgraf/Zagreb (2008) among many others.

Niklaus Troxler got the Swiss Federation Design Award and his posters got awarded 22 times as «Swiss Poster of the year». He won many awards from the Art Directors Club of Switzerland, many ADC of New York awards, Typography Excellences and Awards at Type Directors Club of New York and Tokyo Type Directors Club.

His works are in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Hamburg Industrial Arts Museum, the Wilanow Poster Museum in Warsaw, the Ogaki Poster Museum, the Essen Poster Museum, the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris, the Zurich Poster Collection, the Staedelijk Museum in Amsterdam among others.

Niklaus Troxler showed his work in personal exhibitions in New York, Minneapolis, Tokyo, Beijing, Hangzhou, Nanjing, Moscow, Warsaw, Berlin, Essen, Hamburg, Frankfurt, Paris, Marseille, Chaumont, Mexico, Caracas, Havanna, Geneva, Zurich, Lucerne a.o.p.

Since 1998, he is professor at the State Academy of Fine Arts in Stuttgart/Germany.

He is a member of AGI (Alliance Graphique Internationale) since 1989.