Herzog Sequence

InDesign, visual systems, research, branding

The Herzog Sequence is a project attempting to sum up the character of film director Werner Herzog. The work is a series of 12 movie tickets that explore various traits of him using semiotic associations.

I was asked to make a visual system that displays his personality, and got a great deal of insight from his film “The Burden of Dreams, his book “Twilight World,” IMDB and various interviews. Using his autobiographical details actually served to complicate the process since he was born at the tail end of World War II and the collaps of Germany. I decided to design the cards in a way that reflect the complicated values he developed in difficult times.

Initial iterations were more concrete, and I chose to portray his indiosyncratic ideals in more disparate elements as I moved toward the final product. Imagery, styling and type inspiration were pulled from movie tickets, film stills, and the work of Eadward Muybridge.

I found that, during this process, it’s easier to build a strong narrative using semiotic details that reach further. Allowing for a few flights of fancy in the process has a way of creating more compelling design. The challenge is pulling all those elements together for a seamless product, which I think was possible by keeping my work focussed on the core of what Herzog makes and loves.

(April 2024)

Jack Bennett