Detroit Grand Prix poster

The Detroit Grand Prix is an event that has been held at Belle Isle Park since 1982. During this time, there have been many artists the event coordinators have hired to create promotional materials for the event such as posters. One poster in particular was Don Wieland’s poster for the Detroit Grand Prix in 1997. This poster announced the event for many people interested in attending and also acts as a commemorative piece.

Don Wieland was born in Detroit, Michigan in the early 1940s. According to Wieland, his father worked in the automotive styling departments of General Motors and Ford in the 40s and 50s (McCourt, 2018). Taking after his father, Wieland drew automobiles for his entire career leading up to his death in 2016 (MutualArt). He specialized in commercial art, which landed him the job to design the Detroit Grand Prix poster in 1997. During his nearly 40 year career, he also designed posters for the Windsor, Ontario Antique and Classic Car shows, and the Miami and Long Beach Grand Prix races (McCourt, 2018).

Wieland’s poster is a beautifully stylized image of a classic race car. The body of the car lends itself to movement, with the wheels being pushed out to the sides, the tail of the car is elevated, and the bumper is equally wide and angular. The entire car is extremely angular, with hard edges. The color of the vehicle is a rich red, contrasting itself against the yellow background in a striking way, and the tires are darker which helps frame the car itself. The driver in the vehicle wears a light blue and green helmet, helping with the dynamic color scheme. The primary colors strongly contrast against each other while at the same time blending together in a way that flows together and doesn’t feel jarring.

The entire piece feels like it is moving, and the design of the vehicle is not the only thing adding to this. The brush strokes play a vital role in this illusion of movement, as they are hard strokes that play with light and shadows. The background has clear lines of the brush that makes it feel more dynamic. The tail and wheels also have this style, making the wheels feel like they are moving off the poster. Not only do the brush strokes make it feel like it’s moving, but the reflection of the buildings and the track also lends itself to this feeling. The car appears to be approaching the “camera” at a fast pace with the extremely slanted reflection of the track and buildings. Not only this, but the reflection against the hood of the vehicle lends itself to making it appear rounded, along with the bumper appearing more convex. The entire vehicle is extremely clean with a beautiful shine on it that makes the light hitting it on the top bold and harsh against the shadows.

The entire piece is an excellent work of the feeling of movement, bold primary colors, the playing of light and shadow against metallic materials, and the technique of brush strokes adding texture and movement to the subject. Wieland reveals his mastery of playing with brush stroke technique, colors, and shading to make the vehicle feel like it pops off the poster.

Bibliography
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https://www.hemmings.com/stories/article/wieland.
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