Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Most people think of a yogurt brand when they hear, Swiss style. As designers, we may be
a bit more familiar with the Swiss school of design. Some call it the evolution of modern
design. Others may think of it as just a step to where design style is now. Both may be
correct.
Josef Mller-Brockmann (May 9th, 1914 August 30th, 1996) is considered one of the key
players in the Swiss School of international Style. When one considers the time of his career,
which included the Second World War, the Cold War and the growing influence of a Europe on
the mend from destruction and fear, he certainly influenced not only a design style that
influenced designers on a global scale. It was a time of rebirth for many nations that lay in
ruins, rebuilding and rethinking centuries of tradition that were forced to change due to the
brutality of war and cruelty.
Mller-Brockmann was more than just a man who sought to form what is now labeled the
Swiss School; Constructivism, De Still, Suprematism and the Bauhaus, all of which pushed his
designs in a new direction that opened doors for creative expressions in graphic design,
influenced him. Among his peers he is probably the most easily recognized when looking at
that period.
Perhaps his most recognized work was done for the Zurich Town Hall as poster
advertisements for its theater productions. The work is graphic, rather than illustrative. Some
critics say these posters created a mathematical harmony, which reflected the harmony of
music. If one studies posters before that time, they would probably all agree that these are a
bold and different way to play to visual messages dealing with music. Who would think of
such a graphic? Who would dare execute such work at that time? If you look at the jazz and
fusion albums in America at the time, you can see Mller-Brockmanns influence.
http://www.noupe.com/design/josef-muller-brockmann-principal-of-the-swiss-school.html
1/9
12/20/2014
http://www.noupe.com/design/josef-muller-brockmann-principal-of-the-swiss-school.html
2/9
12/20/2014
http://www.noupe.com/design/josef-muller-brockmann-principal-of-the-swiss-school.html
3/9
12/20/2014
http://www.noupe.com/design/josef-muller-brockmann-principal-of-the-swiss-school.html
4/9
12/20/2014
Despite that dry description, the page does go on to add, After World War II, a number of
graphic designers, including Max Bill, Emil Ruder, and Josef Mller-Brockmann, influenced by
the modernist ideas of Jan Tschicholds Die neue Typographie (The New Typography), began to
question the relevance of the conventional page layout of the time. They began to devise a
flexible system able to help designers achieve coherency in organizing the page. The result
http://www.noupe.com/design/josef-muller-brockmann-principal-of-the-swiss-school.html
5/9
12/20/2014
http://www.noupe.com/design/josef-muller-brockmann-principal-of-the-swiss-school.html
6/9
12/20/2014
http://www.noupe.com/design/josef-muller-brockmann-principal-of-the-swiss-school.html
7/9
12/20/2014
Whether you deal with print or digital design, the lesson of Mller-Brockmann is for simplicity
being more powerful than a mashup of too many elements. In a time of globalization with the
web, its imperative that the message be simple and instantly understood by those with
different languages and cultures. As with his poster designs, who could not get the message,
seeing a speeding vehicle careening towards a small child?
Mller-Brockmann published several books, including The Graphic Artist and His Problems
and Grid Systems in Graphic Design. These books provide an in-depth analysis of his work
practices and philosophies, and provide an excellent insight for graphic designers wishing to
learn more about the profession and creative thought. He spent most of his life working and
teaching, even into the early 1990s when he toured the US and Canada speaking about his
work.
http://www.noupe.com/design/josef-muller-brockmann-principal-of-the-swiss-school.html
8/9
12/20/2014
Type
Artist
Tw eet
257
StumbleUpon
Like
70
Comments and
Discussions
http://www.noupe.com/design/josef-muller-brockmann-principal-of-the-swiss-school.html
9/9