PUMA – The Graphic Heritage

Founded in 1948 by Rudolf Dassler as a sports shoe factory, PUMA has grown into a global sports and lifestyle brand. To mark the company's 75th anniversary, a visual survey was created that tells the story of the brand's design evolution.

»PUMA — The Graphic Heritage« reconstructs the graphic development of the global brand step by step: from the first letterhead in the early post-war years and the worldwide campaigns of renowned design agencies to the creation of iconic sneaker lines such as TRINOMIC or DISC and the innovative type designs for football jerseys. Around 1,000 rare images from the corporate archive are used to examine the fascinating relationship between sport and design.

For the first time, the historical PUMA ephemera has been subjected to a comprehensive design history examination. In search of the most interesting illustrations, we sifted through tens of thousands of pages of old catalogs, advertisements, press kits and design manuals. However, the fact that PUMA’s visual history can be reproduced in an almost overwhelming wealth of images is not a matter of course. It is thanks to the personal initiative of long-time PUMA employee Helmut Fischer that many of the historical materials have been preserved. Together with Fischer and his team at PUMA THE ARCHIVE, the project was realized at vista.

On around 300 pages, the book takes readers on a journey through the company’s history, which spans more than seven decades. Short and longer texts tell little-known stories about products, company logos and testimonials – including Boris Becker’s involvement as a brand ambassador and the collaboration with design icons such as Jil Sander and Otl Aicher.

The modular layout was designed to respond flexibly to the very different types of illustrations – sketches, photographs, product photos, logos. Each of the eight chapters was given its own color, which provides orientation when leafing through the chronological history of the company. The use of a special print color and blind embossing on the cover, as well as the Swiss brochure binding, make the book an appealing design object. A very light uncoated paper was used for the inside, which emphasizes the unpretentious character of the publication. The design of »PUMA - The Graphic Heritage« has been nominated for the European Design Award 2024.

»There is no quality without passion.«
— Rudolf Dassler, 1968

»PUMA - The Graphic Heritage« was presented to the public at a launch event in Berlin in October 2023. The book is available in bookstores and at www.optikbooks.de/puma.