BB Can you tell us a bit about the background of your project? How did you come up with the idea? What brought you together?
WD & AV It started with a coincidence. We each owned a handful of titles from the Spektrum book series, bought in secondhand bookshops in London and Germany. Neither of us can read German, we just liked them for their formal qualities. Even amidst the high standards of mass paperback design in Germany, the black jackets stood apart. Compositionally they are highly controlled while permitting a generous assortment of image treatments. And they are beautiful objects to hold, humble and inexpensive. There is something constant and timeless about them – the series began in 1968, with 279 titles released up until 1993, and, apart from some hints at developments in printing technology over this time, it’s really hard to guess when a given title was published. They’re unusual in being at once accessible and enigmatic.
When we found out about our shared interest, it seemed like a good moment to further investigate not only the Spektrum series but also to find out about their designer Lothar Reher and his work. It transpired that he was long-time art director for the series’ GDR publisher, Volk und Welt (People and World), and had designed a lot of material for them during his time there. He also had a parallel practice as an artist, which flavoured his design work. There isn’t much information out there about Reher, and we felt that his work deserves to be exposed to a wider audience, which we’re attempting to rectify with the exhibition.

BB How does the project you have prepared for the Off Programme fit into the larger context of your practice? Are you working on something related?
WD & AV We’re both graphic designers, working on projects which encompass publication and/or exhibition design, so A Shelf for Lothar extends out of our own practices. The exhibition is intended as a departure point into a broader study of Reher’s work. We’re also preparing a new book to be published later this year, which will continue lines of enquiry from the exhibition and include a recent interview with Reher. 

BB This edition of the Brno Biennial responds to the metamorphoses and the state of contemporary graphic design; its multitude, variety, vagueness and apparent superficiality. Can you identify some of the basic parameters, current themes or motivations of contemporary graphic design?
WD & AV If we talk specifically about publishing, then significant changes to the industry in recent years have had an impact on how we edit, design, distribute and read publications. On the whole, these are positive developments and as a designer, interesting to respond to. But when reflecting on the Spektrum series, it is difficult to imagine a mainstream, populist publisher committing to such an individually-minded concept today. The series sold around 5,000,000 copies over 25 years, so they were incredibly widely read. Reher’s work and ideas endure, and we think worth examining as a model for how to steadily build and sustain a coherent body of work.