Documentation of Three Historic Designers

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Documentation of Three Historic Designers
The current design seen today can be traced back to the 19th century with designers identifying a new role in the market. The designers brought about the revolution after the First World War. This was referred to as New Typography. It evolved throughout the 1920s to 1930s. This is where Swiss design traces back its roots. Swiss style was adopted by expert designers who publicized it in the art industry. This paper explains the evolution of Swiss design about the artists that made it popular. Swiss design is a rich, realistic, and simple style that has been used by several known artists in the field of art. Many artists are impressed with this design described by how it evolved, the different artists who developed it, and the generation that appreciates its beauty. The following artist Henry van de Velde, Josef-Muller Brockmann, and Jan Tschichold are studied and their connection to the development of Swiss design.
Henry Van de VeldeHenry van de Velde was a prominent character among the designers who worked so hard to bring art to industry. He started art as a painter, in the 1890s, then acquired architectural skills. He was an innovator of the modern design and wanted to come up with a new style. He abandoned painting for the reason that it had no beneficial public role and joined the graphic design (Hollis 17). Artists and designers decided to develop a new formal and graphical language. This also created a way for the upcoming artists to engage in a cultural and commercial life.

Van de Velde and other artists needed reforms. They formed an association aimed at bringing together art and industry. Van de Velde was among the founding members. He fought to explain the value of arts and crafts invention and enhance its level. Die Form, was a journal by the Werkbund it reported the new promotion design (Hollis 18). There were displays organized to demonstrate the usage of new materials in the industry and techniques in building such as the use of glass and concrete. These Werkband expositions were taken to Switzerland, forming the Swiss Werkband in 1913 (Hollis 18). Van de Velde was among the prominent who formed Weimar. The school admitted other young artists and produced proficient designers.
Josef Müller–BrockmannAs the most popular designers that can be categorized as part of the Swiss style, Josef Müller–Brockmann, was influenced by the ideas of several different designs and art movements like Bauhaus, and De Stijl. He was a Swiss citizen and attended the Zurich School. He began his art as a freelancer, but later he developed his own style since he also needed something different. As a result, he came up with revolutionized style. It was simple and realistic cinematography, vivid and organized images leading to his desire for poster design. Designers recognized his contribution to art demonstrated by his posters for the Zurich Concert Hall. His posters had much creativity, and other designers loved them.
His work is widely recognized for its simplicity and easy use of typesetting. The designs and colors he incorporated in his style are still recognized as the best, and the current generation is using them as a reference. Apart from being a designer, Brockmann also worked as a teacher in Zurich School. He retired as a teacher in 1960 where he invested in writing, teaching the upcoming generation about his styles, and the general art. Furthermore, he published a number of books which offered a comprehensive analysis regarding the principles he believed in and work practices. He also published the New Graphic Design, a very exceptional piece. This has been regarded as laying a good foundation for the young developing artists who intend to understand much about the career.
Johannes TzschichholdJohannes Tzschichhold is also one of the prominent designers who is regarded as part of the Swiss style. Tzschichhold was born in Germany, where he grew up imitating his father who was a painter. It is believed that his father made him love art since he was already acquainted with most forms of written scripts. As a result, he learned art at a young age (Hollis 37).
He trained as a calligrapher and print artist in Leipzig. He later became the assistant teacher in Leipzig before he left for Bauhaus. After his visit to Bauhaus exhibition, he was inspired and needed to create his typography. He relocated to Switzerland, where the New Typography considered him a potential in the field. 1925, He developed Elementary typography, which gave him a theoretic source his practical ideas. He defined it as the formation of the reasonable and visual correlation between the letters, and the texts. He stressed the basic geometric methods that are greatly covered in the Elementary Typography (Hollis 37). However, the Elementary Typography was criticized in Switzerland as they described it as something obvious. They named it as a communist style and stupidity.
Other designers categorized the Elementary Typography as a good development and were used in the field of design. This is because it highlighted the new ideas on typographic design as the young designers would use it in future to developments in the industry. The Elementary Typography was also a good development since its principles were very simple and could easily be understood.
Tschichold later produced the New Typography in 1928. It was also used as a guide book by many artists as it brought new ideas in the industry and explained its meaning (Hollis 38). Tschichold as greatly inspired by Bauhaus. He developed the latest designs that utilized other forms of designs to come up with the modern art. His combination was simple and realistic. Other designers used his works in further developments as it were not complex. His book as he explained some of his ideas and principles in art. It had vivid explanations and the simplicity of sensing graphic. His book and other works were widely used and cited since it was beneficial to the upcoming artists as it embraces the highest standards of graphic design.
Tschichold also invested in poster design. His greatest work, the Phoebus Palast was highly recommended by other artists. It was created for newspapers and other works (Hollis 38). His designs are ranked among the highest in this industry as he used different combinations to form a simple design that is realistic.
In conclusion, Swiss design is a rich, realistic, and simple style that has been used by several known artists in the field of art. Many artists are impressed with this design described by how it evolved, the different artists who developed it, and the generation that value its beauty. The following artist: Henry van de Velde, Josef-Muller Brockmann, and Jan Tschichold have a great connection to the development of Swiss design.
Works Cited
Hollis, Richard. Swiss Graphic Design: The Origins and Growth of an International Style, 1920-1965. London: Laurence King Publ, 2006. Print.