About One Striped Rectangle: Jean Widmer and the Centre Pompidou Logo.

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  • Author(s): de Smet, Catherine
  • Source:
    Design Issues. Winter2010, Vol. 26 Issue 1, p67-81. 15p. 15 Black and White Photographs.
  • Additional Information
    • Subject Terms:
      LOGOS (Symbols); CENTRE Georges Pompidou; WIDMER, Jean; HISTORY of design; TYPOGRAPHIC design; DESIGNERS; SEMIOTICS
    • Abstract:
      The article discusses the logo of the Centre Georges Pompidou, a museum in Paris, France. In 1974, Jean Widmer and Ernst Hiestand won the competition to design the graphic image of the Pompidou. Widmer created the logo, essentially a striped rectangle, in 1977. Although it was little used for some years, it has continued to serve as the museum's icon. Some of the reasons for its longevity are analyzed. These include its ability to serve simultaneously as a sketch of the building itself, and as a representation of the principle of abstraction.