Josef Müller-Brockmann

Josef Müller-Brockmann is a graphic designer and Swiss typographer born on May 19th, 1914 with Rapperswil in Switzerland and deceased on August 30th, 1996 with Zurich.

Biography

Müller-Brockmann studies graphics, the design and architecture at the university and the Kunstgewerbeschule (technical school) of Zurich. In 1934, it settles in Zurich like designer and illustrator free lance and opens its own studio in 1936. In 1937, he becomes member of the Swiss Werkbund .

After the second world war, Müller-Brockmann continues its work of designer and concentrates on its work of illustrator and designer of exposure. In 1950, Müller-Brockmann carries out its first poster for Tonhalle of Zurich and starts to develop an approach constructivist graphics. As from 1952, it is devoted only to graphics and acquires notoriety as a graphic designer with his poster protect the child for the Car club from Switzerland and its many posters for Tonhalle of Zurich.

In 1957, it succeeds Ernst Keller as professor of graphics to the Kunstgewerbeschule of Zurich. In 1958, it creates the trilingual magazine Neue Grafik/New Graphic Design/Graphisme current with the designers Richard Paul Lohse, Hans Neuburg and Carlo Vivarelli. In 1967, it becomes consulting for IBM and founds the advertizing agency Muller-Brockmann & Co .

Its work is rewarded by many prices: in 1988 it is named Honourable Royal Designer for Industry by the Royal Academy off Art of London; in 1993, its project for the Swiss federal Railroads is rewarded by the Price for the Swiss design ( Design Preis Schweiz ).

He dies on August 30th, 1996 in Zurich.

Its work

Müller-Brockmann is, in particular with Armin Hoffmann, considered as one of the outstanding figures of the international Style or Swiss Style . Its work influenced by the Bauhaus and the constructivism generally stresses the typographical and geometrical elements. It uses especially police forces Without-serif like Akidenz, Univers or Helvetica and implements a system of grids to structure its creations. Müller-Brockmann seldom calls upon photography - generally in black and white - to illustrate its posters and uses simple geometrical figures rather (circles, rectangles, lines…)

The work of Müller-Brockmann is primarily abstract. Thus, considering that the music is an abstract art, Müller-Brockmann succeeds in its poster beethoven of 1955 suggesting the “musical quality of the design”.

Realization outstanding

design

Affiche protect the child for the Car Club from Switzerland, 1953
Affiche beethoven for Tonhalle of Zurich, 1955
Affiche DER film for Kunstgewerbemuseum of Zurich, 1960
Signalétique for the Swiss federal Railroads, 1993

Books

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