Front page of an invitation to participate in a photo and type competition sponsored by the Munich section of the German Compositors’ Association, 1932. Jan Tschichold.

This is the last post till 2008. I wish you all a happy Xmas with your familly and friends. See you in 2008 for more swiss and type news!

Every movmenent has its origin. So do swiss graphic design. The ABC’s of Bauhaus traces the origins and impact of the Bauhaus in relation to design, graphic design, and typography. The book, designed by the authors, invokes the Bauhaus ideal of synthesizing editorial concept, typography, and format. The essays address such issues as modernist design theory in relation to the nineteenth-century kindergarden movement and Bauhaus graphic design in relation to the idea of a universal “language” of vision. Additional essays address psychoanalysis, fractal geometry, and Weimar culture. This book includes two essays by Mike Mills.

More pics here.

The ABC’s of Bauhaus, The Bauhaus and Design Theory
by Ellen Lupton and J. Abbott Miller (Editors}
Publisher: Princeton Architectural Press; (June 15, 2000)
Paperback: 64 pages
ISBN: 1878271423
Price: $21.95

(via Aisleone)

(photo by whatyouwrite.wordpress.com)

There is currently an enormous wealth of materials and of print manufacturing processes available to designers. These opportunities are rarely fully explored, whether from a lack of knowledge, or from a belief that they will be too costly, to complicated, or too time consuming. Materials, Process, Print explores these diverse possibilities, providing insights into how they can be stretched, skewed and subverted to produce original results.

In depth analysis of specific materials and of key print and manufacturing processes is combined with a series of case studies showing innovative practice from major international studios at the cutting edge of design. Functioning as a handbook for reference and a highly illustrated source of ideas and creative solutions, this book suggests fresh approaches and new ways of thinking for designers working in graphic design and packaging, and will also be of interest to product designers and anyone who commissions design in these fields.

208 pages
280 x 216 mm
ISBN 1 85669 510 7
paperback
£25.00
Published by Laurence King

Photo by Kevin McCauley

The grandfathers of modernism, Wim Crouwel and Massimo Vignelli graced the AIGA/NY chapter on Thursday 25 October, with anecdotes of their personal lives their careers as designers—for them, one in the same. Each spoke about several projects selected by Alice Twemlow, chair of the MFA Design Criticism program at SVA, who moderated this historical evening. In fact, this is the first time that Wim Crouwel has spoken in New York since 1965.

Labeled as modernists, Mr. Vignelli and Mr. Crouwel embrace the same ideology, methods and approaches to design; however, their solutions are quite unique from another as are their personalities.

Read the more here.

If you wish to find out more about Wim Crouwel and Massimo Vignelli‘s personalities please check out these two questionnaires that were conducted exclusively for AIGA/NY.

(Via Aisleone)

Flux New Music Festival (1) and Hacienda Night Club (2) poster.

Swiss Legacy: Could you please introduce yourself? Where are you from? What is your background?
Hamish Muir: I was born in Scotland but have spent most of my life in England. I ended up as a designer almost by accident. I had wanted to do science, but my maths was terrible. So instead of University I went to Art School to learn photography but was soon more interested in drawing and colour. It was in the days when you were still taught how to draw. As I couldn’t draw, this was very useful! I later studied graphic design at Bath Academy of Art where the course leader was the Swiss artist and designer Benno Zehnder (later director of the Art School in Lucerne). After graduating, I worked in London before spending a year on the Advanced Graphic Design course at what is now known as the Basel School of Design. Zehnder had encouraged me to apply to the school. Whilst there, I was very fortunate to have Armin Hofmann (colour and basic design), Wolfgang Weingart (typography), Kurt Hauert (drawing) and André Gürlter (type design) as my teachers.
On returning to London I worked for four years with an exhibition designer. I think I wanted to avoid graphic design for a while; the ideas, approaches and methodologies I had been exposed to in Basel were kind of difficult to deal with – the experience had certainly changed the way I saw things, but I wasn’t ready to begin applying what I had learned. I think one of the problems with the spread of the ‘Basel Style’ in the 70s and 80s, was the way that students, particularly those from North America, would return to work and start using what were techniques and approaches designed as classroom exercises in live jobs for corporate clients. I didn’t want to do the same. I thought what we had been taught went deeper than that, and for me at least, it needed more time to assimilate

SL: You co-founded 8vo in the 80s, How was graphic design at that time? Are the relationships with clients different now?
HM: In 1984 I met up with Mark Holt and Simon Johnston (another ex Bath Academy of Art / Basel School of Design student). They had already done a couple of freelance jobs together as 8vo whilst working at other companies. Together we launched 8vo as a studio. (This is described in detail in the book ‘8vo On the outside’, Lars Müller Publishers, 2005).

In London at the time, design was very ideas oriented – visual jokes, puns, clever copywriting, gimmicky use of printing and finishing techniques. In terms of typography, it was very different to what was happening in Europe – in the UK things generally followed a kind of traditional approach and it seemed type was always there to support the idea or image, it never seemed to be the idea or image itself.
So what we set out to do was to make design where type and typography were central to the idea. Where type would be the image. Our influences were from outside the UK; Europe (Switzerland in particular) and the USA (Holt had spent time working freelance in San Francisco). But we didn’t want to copy what we knew – we wanted to develop our own approach which was relevant to the context in which we were working in terms of clients, jobs, purpose and audience.

Yes the relationship with clients was different then. There was more mutual trust and respect. (I must add here, I am very lucky with my current clients, who are very good to work with!). The designer was seen as a professional who could bring expertise to bear on a communication problem. And maybe it was easier to make a decent living from design for print in those days– there were no free pitches, there was less competition, and one could still augment design fees buying print, typesetting and other services for clients.

I guess what changed everything was desktop publishing. After that, anyone and everyone could be a graphic designer. There was no longer any need for professional expertise (at least in the eyes of most clients). But of course, saving time and money doesn’t make better design.

Octavo 88.5 (3)

SL: For a period of time 8vo worked for Wim Crouwel. How was the relationship with him? How does the creative process work in this kind of situation?
HM: We had already been in touch with Crouwel in 1988 by inviting him to contribute an article to Octavo*. (’lowercase in the dutch lowlands’, Octavo 88.5). A while after this, he asked us if we would be interested in working for him as a client in his role as Director of the Museum Boymans-van Beuningen in Rotterdam. Of course we said yes! He wanted us to create a ‘face’ for the Museum – not a rigid identity – but an approach (which he had seen in our design of Octavo(*)) which was flexible and could adapt to changing needs of content, subject and budget. Between 1989 and 1993 we designed around 30 posters and 40 catalogues for the Museum.
We had a great working relationship with Crouwel. He was the model client – hands-off most of the time, but when he did intervene or make comment, it was always to the point and very astute. I think we learned a lot from him, especially in how to make our work more direct and less fussy in its detailing. As well, we saw that the ‘whole’ was more important than the individual pieces, this meant we had to modify our sometimes over-intense approach to (over-) working particular designs. And there was neither the time or the budget to employ some of the print techniques we had begun to rely on. It was much more design in the real world, and for real people compared to Octavo or some of the other 8vo work from this period.

SL: How important is typography in your work?
HM: I am a graphic designer who uses type. I am not a typographer. I happen to use type a lot. But to me ‘communication’ is more important. Typography is only a means to aid communication, not and end in itself

Octavo 88.5 (3)

SL: Have you been influenced by the major Swiss graphic designers?
HM: Well yes of course. But I realise that they were working in a very special environment at a different time. I think we can learn more from their approach to visual communication and design problem-solving in general than we can from looking only at the finished work out of context.

SL: Any upcoming projects?
HM: Architecture books for Laurence King in London. A type-design based research project at the London College of Communication (where I teach Information Design on a part-time basis). Tephra – a new font family developed in conjunction with Dalton Maag (more details at www.hamishmuir.com)

SL: Last word?
HM: Thank you

-

(1) - Flux New Music Festival
Poster
1997
60 x 40 inches (152.4 x 101.6 cm)
Silksreen
Design: 8vo

(2) - Hacienda Night Club
7th anniversary poster
1989
60 x 40 inches (152.4 x 101.6 cm)
Silksreen
Design: 8vo

(3) - Octavo 88.5
Front cover and spread
1988
A4
Design: 8vo

(*) - Octavo
‘Octavo, International Journal of Typography’ was edited, designed and published by 8vo in seven print and one interactive screen-based issues between 1985 and 1992.