Cassandre

Cassandre (born Jan. 24, 1901, Kharkov, Ukraine, Russian Empire [now Kharkiv, Ukraine]—died June 19, 1968, Paris, France) was a graphic artist, stage designer, and painter whose poster designs greatly influenced advertising art in the first half of the 20th century.

After studying art at the Académie Julian in Paris, Cassandre gained a reputation with such posters as “Étoile du Nord” (1927) and “Dubo Dubon Dubonnet” (1932). The Dubonnet posters were among the earliest designed specifically to be seen from fast-moving vehicles, and they introduced the idea of the serial poster, a group of posters to be seen in rapid succession to convey a complete idea.

In 1926 Cassandre cofounded the advertising agency Alliance Graphique and soon turned his attention to experimental typography. In 1929 he designed Bifur, a new typeface. Later, he designed two other typefaces, Acier Noir (1935) and Piegnot (1937). In 1939 he abandoned poster art and henceforth devoted himself to designing stage sets and to painting.