Art Director Thomas Gugel at WeFadeToGrey in Cologne, Germany: “The historical mini-series BONN – Old Friends, New Enemy, is a six-part political thriller about the rise of the young Federal Republic of Germany shaded by a moving family story.

“Based on true events during the tense Cold War, the series is set in 1954, on the eve of Germany’s rearmament. It tells of rival secret services, of networks of relationships in the Alt-Nazi milieu, and of a young woman who gets caught between these fronts.

“Through extensive historical and artistic research, we ended up with a comprehensive overview of the historical facts, the visual language of the time, colors, and the use of photography and typography in commercial graphic design.

“The challenge, however, was to bring the viewer into this world within the short running time of the titles, offering an insight into the geopolitical situation of the time and setting a mood for the entry into each episode.

“For the final designs, we chose a bold approach in terms of elements and colors. The palette, associated with the Third Reich and the new Federal Republic, subtly picks up the core theme of the series. The visual identity is modern despite the historical context but retains the desired striking, intense, and dark overall mood.

“The focus remains on the characters and the secret service/espionage theme in conjunction with the historical storytelling component through the interwoven archive footage, which shows a few key points from the period between 1945 and 1954, the year in which the series begins.”
 
 

 

Client: Odeon Fiction, Leonine Studios

Executive Production: WeFadeToGrey
Creative Direction: three-seconds
Director: Claudia Garde
Editorial department TV Series: Götz Vogt (WDR)
Post-production: Anne Urban
Producer: Fabian Winkelmann
Art director: Thomas Gugel
Design: Thomas Gugel, Bastian Schiffer, Catrin Mackowski
Animator: Thomas Gugel, Bastian Schiffer

Music: Florian Tessloff