wiedler.ch

book (design) story #616

ernst m. lang:
goma – das basler gorillakind nr. 1-6

j.r. geigy s.a., basle, around 1959
size: 16 x 16 cm
designer: igildo g. biesele

in 1959 a gorilla was born in the zoo of basel – only the second birth of a gorilla in captivity. since the baby gorilla with the name "goma" was rejected by her mother, zoo director ernst m. lang (*1913) decided to let goma grow up like a human baby in his own home.

geigy launched a series of booklets about the growing-up of the popular gorilla baby – the booklets were in fact a public relations campaign for their products.

the booklets were designed by igildo biesele (*1930, see also story 84).

the covers with only big and small akzidenz-grotesk semibold letters on white remind of the then new magazine "neue grafik".

the inside pages are also set in sansserif.

the last pages of each issue features an ad for the drug dosulfin ...

... in various versions.

in the later booklets, the ads are in akzidenz-grotesk semibold,

... also one for siosteran.

the so-called "geigy egg" logo appears only on the back, and in a tiny size.