Will Burtin

Will Burtin (1908–1972) was a graphic designer from Cologne, Germany, known for interrelating design and scientific concepts within his exhibits.

He was an influential designer, educator, and theorist in Germany and the United States.

Will Burtin was born in Cologne, Germany, to August and Gertrud Bürtin on January 27, 1908.

Burtin's education was interrupted early during World War I when German armies took over his elementary school for cavalry barracks.

Burtin also never graduated high school; instead, Burtin started studying topography at Handwerkskammer Köln.

After graduation, Burtin studied graphic and industrial design at the Kölner Werkschulen (Cologne Academy of Fine and Applied Arts) in 1926.

During his time studying topography and art, Burtin interned at the typesetting studio of Dr. Philippe Knöll.

He worked for Knöll on exhibitions at GeSoLei in Düsseldorf.

In 1927, Burtin opened his own design studio in Cologne, in which he created booklets, posters, type books, exhibitions, displays, advertising, and movies for German, French, and other clients.

He had this studio from 1927 to 1938.

In 1930, Burtin started teaching in Berlin, where he met art student Hilde Munk.

Burtin and Munk were married in 1932 and Munk became partner in her husband's design studio, Entwurfe Bürtin, (Designs by Burtin).

During the war, the Nazi Party was determined to win over the public opinion, which brought Will Burtin name to the party's attention, hoping that he would accept the position of Art Director and supervise creation of propaganda designs.

Nazi officials began asking Burtin to work for their cause, while also trying to persuade him to divorce his Jewish wife.

Burtin was able to decline early Nazi attempts to hire him.

Burtin always claimed that his work schedule was already too hectic to take on another responsibility.

However, in 1937, Nazi Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels made an official request for Burtin to become the Ministry's Director of Design.

Burtin cited his backlog of private clients in order to buy time.

Burtin's wife Hilde took advantage of this to write an urgent letter to her cousin, Max Munk, in Maryland.

She asked him to sponsor the couple's immigration into the United States.

Munk responded to Hilde's request by sending an affidavit.

The affidavit, dated November 15, 1937, allowed Will and Hilde Burtin to get a U.S. visa.

Meanwhile, back in Germany, Burtin was called to Berlin again, this time to meet Adolf Hitler in person.

Burtin tried disqualifying himself from working in the Nazi Party by mentioning that his wife Hilde was Jewish.

Unfortunately for Burtin, Hitler replied that his wife was not an issue and his first assignment would be to create an exhibit foretelling the impacts of Nazi culture.

Again trying to buy time, Burtin asked for a short vacation to think it over.

He was honoured, he replied, to be considered for this high-ranking post but he needed this vacation to be well rested prior to taking up his duties for the Nazi Party.

Will and Hilde Burtin had already decided under no circumstances would they work for the Nazi Party.

They were able to book passage on the Rotterdam and flee to New York City, leaving behind their personal belongings, taking only overnight bags to deceive border guards, and a sample sheet of the typeface Firmin Didot.

After arriving in the United States from Germany, the Burtins settled in New York City.

Will Burtin was hired for his first job with Munk Aeronautical Laboratory, which was Hilde's cousin's Max Munk's laboratory.

After working with Munk Aeronautical Laboratory, Burtin received a contract with the United States Federal Works Agency, in which he had to create one major exhibit that represented the achievements of five departments in the Federal Works Agency.

He arrived in the United States in 1939 after fleeing Nazism in Germany.

In the U.S., he worked for Fortune Magazine and as an educator at Pratt Institute and the Parsons School of Design.

He designed many exhibits for companies, such as Eastman Kodak, IBM, the Smithsonian, Mead Paper, Union Carbide, Herman Miller Furniture, and United States Information Agency.

He received many awards and recognition for his work including a gold medal from AIGA.

Many of his exhibits were reviewed in major consumer magazines, such as Newsweek and Life Magazine.

Will Burtin died on January 18, 1972, in Mount Sinai Hospital in New York.

Burtin's cause of death was mesothelioma, cancer caused by exposure to asbestos.

He was inducted into the Art Directors Club Hall of Fame in 1974.