Walter Heinz Allner (1909-2006), a German-born designer trained in the influential Bauhaus movement, left an indelible mark on American graphic design through his groundbreaking work as art director of Fortune magazine from 1962 to 1974. During his tenure, Allner revolutionized the publication's visual identity by developing modernist typography and creating 79 striking minimalist covers that ranged from representational simplicity to sophisticated graphic abstraction.
Allner's distinctive covers, characterized by their emblematic and geometrically precise design, embodied an early pop aesthetic that was becoming increasingly prevalent among mid-century designers influenced by Bauhaus principles. These designers were transforming various visual media, including book and magazine covers, record albums, posters, pharmaceutical promotions, and progressive packaging design. Allner's approach reflected the broader cultural shift toward modernist design that was reshaping American visual culture.
Before arriving in the United States, Allner had established himself as a prominent figure in European modernist circles. He gained invaluable experience working in the Netherlands under Piet Zwart, the highly influential Dutch modern typographer who pioneered new approaches to visual communication. Later, in Paris, Allner collaborated with renowned Art Deco poster artists Jean Carlu and A.M. Cassandre, further expanding his artistic vocabulary and technical expertise.
However, it was the abstract geometric graphics of Josef Albers, a fellow Bauhaus master, that proved most influential in shaping Allner's design philosophy for Fortune magazine. This influence later evolved and manifested in his poster work for the Bauhaus Archiv, creating a direct connection between his commercial and artistic endeavors. The geometric precision and color theories that Albers championed became fundamental elements of Allner's visual language.
After emigrating to the United States in 1949, Allner demonstrated remarkable foresight by anticipating the inevitable integration of aesthetics and advanced technology in design. He actively sought opportunities to collaborate directly with computer engineers, positioning himself at the forefront of the emerging digital design revolution. As critic John Lahr observed in a 1966 PRINT magazine article, "Allner's interest in science, coupled with a venturesome spirit, has led him into exciting new design fields."
Following his successful tenure at Fortune magazine, Allner continued his creative exploration by producing posters and prints between 1972 and 1978. According to his son Peter Allner, Walter continued creating posters well into his 80s, demonstrating his lifelong commitment to artistic expression. Two notable Bauhaus posters from this period were completed in 1973, showcasing his continued connection to his design roots.
Peter Allner provides insight into his father's artistic process, noting that Walter created silkscreen works that were direct replicas of 4x6 paintings. The silkscreens, produced between 1972 and 1978, represented a technical evolution in his artistic practice. "I believe Walter was always interested in pursuing new methods, but it seems clear that the silkscreens provided the hard-edge abstraction that he laboriously pursued in freehand with the paintings," Peter explains.
Walter Allner maintained a clear distinction between his commercial graphic design work and his personal artistic endeavors. As early as the 1930s in Paris, particularly during periods when commercial work was scarce, he painted and exhibited at the prestigious Salon des Indépendants. Peter notes that while his father's fundamental style remained consistent throughout his career, the imagery evolved and took on new characteristics after his move to the United States.
"You never saw one of Walter's paintings on a cover of Fortune magazine, and while there are some similarities between the paintings and early magazine work, there is a distinct difference between them," Peter observes. This separation allowed Allner to explore different artistic voices in his commercial and personal work. His paintings often featured repetitive motifs, with the artist reworking the same image in different color schemes, sometimes creating exact replicas and other times introducing subtle variations.
Today, Peter Allner is working to ensure his father's artistic legacy finds appropriate institutional homes. He is actively seeking to gift his father's prints and proofs to suitable institutions, while the paintings have already been placed in permanent collections. Two silkscreens are reportedly housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection, possibly donated by a printer named McCoy. The remaining prints, characterized by their striking appearance and precise printing on heavy stock paper, remain in Peter's possession, along with a complete set of silkscreens that he hopes to place with an institution that will preserve and share Walter Allner's significant contribution to modernist design and art.
