Sunday Picnic Album Cover, Mazurka Orchestra, 2019
Illustrations, posters, books, stamps, record covers, games, even theatre costumes and sets, puppets, etc. – if these design categories are considered sporting events, then the German designer Henning Wagenbreth, who calls himself a "decathlete", is truly worthy of the name. However, the versatile man doesn't care what the industry calls him, saying, "Sometimes I'm an illustrator, sometimes a designer, an artist, or a college professor." I don't need the so-called label. ”
Disability Edition of the "For Sport" Stamp Series, 90 cents, 2015
For Henning, who graduated from graphic design in East Berlin as early as the 1980s, all kinds of design were necessary courses at that time, especially font design and painting. "These courses were an important part of learning at the time. But we need to do all the scope of design in the field of graphic design. Later, I even did animation. "Of all these design categories, perhaps the most curious is stamp design – why did he love design that is becoming a sunset industry?" Because these projects are really interesting. I generally think of them as 'miniature illustrations'. Only by drawing can you place complex information in a few square centimeters. He explained: "Moreover, I still go to the post office very often myself." Because it feels really good to send physical correspondence. It would be nice to have your own stamp on the letter. ”
In his recent solo exhibition at the UQAM Design Center in Montreal, Canada, two of them are from the 2015 German Für den Sport series: whether it is the orange "90 euro cents" or the sky blue "145 euro cents", both show the heroism of disabled athletes. Of course, this is not the "first case" he brought to the stamp design. As early as 2011, he also designed the style of female footballer volleys or goalkeeper saves for the series. It is also enough to show the country's support for the women's football field.
Disability edition of the "For Sport" stamp series, 145 cents, 2015
Henning's designs, or worlds he constructs, while full of color, and even childish because of comic-shaped characters, are well thought out and superbly interpreted. Henning thought the formation of such a style may be related to his upbringing in the GDR. "Art is something elusive and controlling for the GDR government, and I've met many of my parents' artist friends whose lives seem free and independent. The freedom of art and a little danger attracted me greatly to my adolescence. ”
Therefore, it is not difficult for the "sharp-eyed" reader to find that some of his works, as described by the STIRpad website, "harbor the expressiveness of the antagonistic system". When asked about this, he was really surprised. "It's the first time I've heard my work described like this." He laughed and said, "However, I do think that institutions in general are too serious." [They] should be more open to unconventional forms of communication. But for me, the issues of ethics and humanism are more important. Even if a work has a confrontational meaning, everything you do still hides the love for the world. In essence, this has long been his world-famous design style. And the solo curator, Mark M. Marc H. Choko does not shy away from rating his solo exhibition as "graphic design for all ages."
Dutch Animation Film Festival, Four-Color Screen Poster, 2014
Henning always designs "with both young and older people in mind". So Henning will try to convey the message in a strong color and easy-to-read form when telling a story. "But, sometimes I hear that this book is too violent for children and too naïve for adults." He recalls, "So, I'll start by using interesting images to catch the viewer's eye." As for how to analyze the meaning of the connotation, it depends on their own judgment. ”
In exhibitions, such designs are often presented as posters. The Wagenbreth Illustration Plant (2013) looks at first glance like a booming industrial period of the last century. However, on closer inspection, elements such as the "success" smoke coming out of the chimney, to the bombs dropped by "reality", and the "font workshop" like a chemistry laboratory, are actually darkly teasing his own creative field; and another "Cyclist" that has been out of print since 1990 and has come back to life in 2015 has nothing to lose except chains! (Bicyclists have nothing to lose but their chains!) brings out a kind of "feng shui rotation" mood - not only the characters in the picture have returned to the fashion world, but the "cycling" action also shows an indomitable attitude as the world tends to be sustainable.
Left: Transit Zone, Books published by the Berlin Art Library, 2019
Pictured right: "The Cyclist Has Nothing to Lose But Chains," four-color screen poster, 2015
In his recent work, "Transit-Zonen", which he designed for the Berlin Rijksmuseum, is also eye-catching: a kind of old-fashioned library scene can be seen in the book cover, but behind the counter is not books, but a large number of screens, showing live events in different creative fields. It turns out that this "transit zone" is his exploration of the era of electronic images: what can museums, as a storehouse for books, decorative sculptures and other historical templates, provide for the graphic design industry?
When asked, he found that he still used the "traditional" hand-drawn way of painting, but in fact, he had abandoned many objects that could provide inspiration in the past, such as books. As a young man, he remembers that he always used a lot of reference materials because he needed to paint something or creatures that he had never painted before, but now, especially in the post-pandemic era, the Internet and social media are his focus. The reason for this is not based on the fear of missing out, as one might think.
Costume Music Festival, Four-Color Screen Poster, 2021
"I don't think social media is necessary. Some of the illustrators I know prefer to work from home without social distractions. "But I like to have a direct and close connection with my fans. And through social media, I can also learn about my friends around the world and connect with people who like my books, illustrations and prints. ”
Obviously, Henning's 35-year design career still maintains the "strong posture" of a decathlon, which can definitely be attributed to his work attitude of constantly challenging himself and trying new things. In particular, recognizing the internationalization of the industry, the competitiveness has become more, faster and fully colorful with technology – this is a situation that has to be followed. "I don't know if I want to get out of work." He once said, "If I could, I would really like to extend the day to 36 hours and stay awake all the time." ”