The Brain

Will Burtin

Exhibition display and promotional poster for The Brain, an exhibition for Upjohn, completed in 1960.

Images of The Brain

  1. Image 1 — Burtin 06 (The Brain)
  2. Image 2 — Burtin 05 (The Brain)

    Will Burtin, USA (1955)

    Wilburn (Will) Burtin studied typography at the Hand-werkskammer Köln while apprenticed (1922–26), art/graphics at Cologne Werkschulen. He established Entwurfe Burtin (Designs by Burtin) in 1927. He taught in Berlin and...

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    • The Brain, 1960

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    Exhibition display and promotional poster for The Brain, an exhibition for Upjohn, completed in 1960.

    • Client:

    • Upjohn
    • Disciplines:

    • Details:

    • Illustration
    • Information design
    • Installation

    Education: until age 14. Studied typography at Hand werkskammer Köln while apprenticed, 1922–26; then studied art/graphics at Cologne Werkschulen. Established Entwurfe Burtin (Designs by Burtin), 1927–38. Taught in Berlin, marrying his student Hilde Munk, 1932. Hitler demanded Burtin become design director of the Propaganda Ministry (1938). Instead, he took his Jewish wife to New York, winning Federal Works Agency contract for 1939 World’s Fair. Freelance design for Time-Life, others. War work: OSS, designed aerial gunnery manuals. Art director for Fortune magazine, 1945– 49. From 1949 Will Burtin, Inc. served corporate clients, including Upjohn. Renowned for scientific models: Cell, Brain, Uranium Atom, others. After Hilde’s death he married Cipe Pineles. Will Burtin pioneered the fields of scientific visualization, information design, corporate identity and multimedia (he called it ‘Integration’). His large models foreshadowed computer-assisted virtual environments (CAVE).

    Education

    plus

    Teacher of Communication Design

      1939 – 1943

      • Pratt Institute (USA)

      Chairman of the Visual Communication department

        1959 – ?

        • Pratt Institute (USA)

        Agencies

        plus
        • Will Burtin, Inc.

          1949 – 1971

        • Fortune magazine (Art Director)

          1945 – 1949

        • US Army (Designer)

          1943 – 1945

        • Entwurfe Bürtin

          1927 – 1938