Söre Popitz (1896–1993) was a German graphic designer and painter primarily known for her work at Leipzig publishing house Otto Beyer in 1930s.
Söre Popitz, around 1924. Silver gelatin print. Image via Bauhaus Dessau Foundation.
She studied at Bauhaus for two years and is often called the school's best known female graphic designer. Söre abandoned modernist principles in her own art, though she stayed faithful as a designer of extremely versatile and witty posters, brochures, and book covers.
Thügina advertisement created by Söre Popitz, 1925. Image via Bauhaus Dessau Foundation.
Popitz first qualified as a graphic illustrator in her home town of Kiel. In 1917, she enrolled at the Leipzig Academy of Fine Arts where she attended courses on book design, typography, and advertising graphics. In 1924, Popitz enrolled at the preliminary course in Bauhaus, obligatory for all new students. She attended classes taught by László Moholy-Nagy, Paul Klee and Wassily Kandinsky. The years after 1933 led Söre Popitz into a period of inner emigration. She continued to work as an advertising graphic designer for Verlag Otto Beyer and also painted for herself, producing numerous paintings of flowers.
Cover for die neue Linie magazine created by Söre Popitz, 1931. Image via Bauhaus Dessau Foundation.
Cover for the brochure und die Frau... created by Söre Popitz, 1934. Image via Bauhaus Dessau Foundation.
Designer Varvara Stepanova (1894–1958) was one of the greatest creative forces behind the Soviet avant-garde Constructivist group, who aimed to make functional and beautiful products for everyday life.
Varvara Stepanova.
A multi-talented artist, Stepanova produced photomontages, book covers, posters, and theatrical sets, before concluding that her vision would be best realised designing fashion for work and leisure. In 1924–1925, Varvara Stepanova taught textile design at the Vkhutemas art school in Moscow.
Sets and costumes for Vsevolod Meyerhold's production of The Death of Tarelkin at the Theater of the Revolution, 1922. Design: Varvara Stepanova. © Rodchenko Stepanova Archive, Moscow.
In 1921, Stepanova co-founded the Constructivist Group, setting out to design functional yet beautiful products for everyday proletarian life. Stepanova and her lifetime partner Alexander Rodchenko began living together in 1916, and soon entered the whirl of the art world, finding themselves at the forefront of the avant-garde. In 1928, Stepanova made a sports uniform with a striking geometric design that emphasises the human body in action, with sharp angular forms, printed abstract patterns and contrasting colors.
Sports uniforms designed by Varvara Stepanova, 1928. © Rodchenko Stepanova Archive, Moscow.
Poster for Through Red and White Glasses theatrical performance. Design: Varvara Stepanova, 1924. © Rodchenko Stepanova Archive, Moscow.