Jantzen 1947

Curator: Joseph Binder’s poster for Jantzen, dated 1947, presents a vibrant scene of two skiers gliding down a snowy slope. What springs to mind for you? Editor: Freedom! It's breezy, almost recklessly so. The angle suggests a dizzying descent, with this stylized snow swirling around them, threatening to engulf them. Curator: The dynamism is key, isn’t it? Binder uses flat planes of color and sharp angles to create this incredible sense of movement. The poster aims to catch that feeling. The skiers themselves seem archetypal—handsome, athletic, glowing, all attributes associated with a brand ideal. Editor: Right, they're the "ideal," particularly for the postwar consumer, emerging from years of scarcity and constraint, yearning for leisure and self-expression through the trappings of sports. It also plays into the growing interest in winter sports during that period. It is so mid-century cool, even beyond a marketing effort. Curator: Indeed. This is more than an advert. I’m caught by the simplicity and bold lines; each shape carefully considered. And these skiers exist almost as graphic symbols. Editor: True. The composition directs our gaze downward to the logo, nestled in the lower left corner. But for me, there's a tension: they’re skiing “down” as they're elevated and framed to be literally looked “up to." It speaks volumes about aspirational advertising. Curator: Absolutely, a very good point, given how it evokes aspiration and idealized living! What strikes me the most, really, is its ability to marry art and commerce, the aesthetic and the accessible. It embodies the spirit of its era, offering a glimpse into a world of recreation and stylish performance. Editor: Precisely, Binder captured not only a visual brand identity, but also that era’s deep yearning for active life, outdoor, performance-based products and escape, cleverly packaged and easy to digest for any consumer.