The 1960’s proved to be a historic decade for Helmut Krone and his many innovative advertising designs. The above ad was published in LIFE magazine on January 10^th, 1964 [1]. Following his iconic “Think Small” campaign for Volkswagen, Krone had found continuous success in simple, straight to the point designs. Krone’s relationship with Volkswagen began in the early 1960s when the car giant approached his then employer Doyle Dane Bernbach. Krone was assigned the project after he confessed that he was the only one in the firm familiar with the brand [2]. His fascination with industrial design allowed him to focus on the Beetles’ unique mechanical and design features. In a magazine packed with colors and pictures, the excess white space and lack of details made the ad effective at grabbing the reader’s attention.  Helmut utilized a basic figure-ground relationship to outline the iconic shape of the Volkswagen Beetle.

Abiding by one of Krone’s signatures, the Volkswagen symbol appears faded and blended seamlessly in with the text.  He had previously stated his dislike for logos in advertising, claiming “I’ve spent my whole life fighting logos. Logos say, ‘I am an ad. Turn the page’” [3]. Helmut believed that if the ad was effective enough, the viewer would take the time to read about the product and the brand. The caption “How much longer can we hand you this line” is used as both a play on words and an attention grabber. The design was so successful it was utilized again by Volkswagen later in the campaign (pictured below). This image captures the peak of Helmut’s cleverness and design ingenuity.

Bibliography

1.https://books.google.com/booksid=ElQEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA15&lpg=PA15&dq=how+much+longer+can+we+hand+you+this+line+ad&source=bl&ots=-5bTfXG_hM&sig=ACfU3U0OhXWCgaCdzB-axS G9oNwzwSw7g&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiv3_uhhfH2AhXohXIEHZrnBOwQ6AF6BAgCEAM#v=onepage&q=how%20much%20longer%20can%20we%20hand%20you%20this%20line%20ad&f=false

2. https://www.think.cz/english/people/an-interview-with-helmut-krone

3. https://designobserver.com/feature/helmut-krone-period/4657

4. https://www.graphis.com/master-portfolio-slideshow/helmut-krone/advertising/