20th anniversary of the assassination attempt on Adolf Hitler on July 20, 1944 - Germany / Federal Republic of Germany 1964

On the 20th of July, 1964, the twentieth anniversary of the day on which the assassination of Hitler suddenly made the world aware that there was a German resistance against the National Socialist regime. The German Federal Post Office devotes a commemorative sheet to this occasion. Representing the numerous people who sacrificed their lives, the paper contains eight commemorative stamps depicting such resistance fighters. It was clear from the beginning that the task could only be solved by putting the portraits in a good relationship with the widely changing typefaces. In order to find the best version, suitable artists were sent selections of photographs of two personalities who were as different as possible in their nature and age, with the request to draw up proposals, for which Sophie Scholl and Ludwig Beck were selected. Two designs were received by Karl Oskar Blase. Prof. Hubert Berke and the graphic designers Prof. Hans Michel and Günther Kieser each sent three solutions, Herbert Kern four and the graphic designers Gerd and Erika Aretz six solutions. The decision had to be based on the assumption that a single-brand basic system had to be chosen which could be adopted without difficulty for the entire series. Such difficulties arose z. B. from the fact that the names to be accommodated very different lengths. After careful consideration, the decision was made to transfer the further work to graphic designers Gerd and Erika Aretz. Here, the shape has largely changed, as a comparison of the sketches with the finished brands shows. The development was tedious, because even the acquisition of usable image templates in some cases considerable effort and time required. Finally, the Federal Minister for Posts and Telecommunications has approved the overall form of the brand block, the production of which was taken over by Bundesdruckerei Berlin. On a blue offset background, from which the writing was left blank, the portraits are set in black in the process of Ätztiefdrucks.