Chapter 18

1. Sum up the reading in your own words in 1 paragraph

The International Typographic style came about during the 1950's.It was a design movement that emerged from Germany and immediately migrated to and became closely associated with switzerland (the style was also known as "Swiss Design"). Signatures of the style included clarity and conciseness in design, heavy mathematical methods for proportions; and we have seen geometric influences on other styles, but this style had a focus on abstraction of simple geometric shapes. Some "founders" of the movement included: Theo Ballmer, Ernst Keller, Max Huber and Max Bill, Anton Stankowski, and Rudolph DeHarak. I recognized Theo Ballmer when I read the chapter and realized it was because he had been a student that moved up in the Bauhaus. Ballmer developed a mathematical grid that he used constantly in his designs so that everything could be aligned to his idea of perfection. Ernst Keller taught how to use the style for advertising when he was employed at the School of Applied Art (Kunstgewerbeschule) in Zurich, Germany. The chapter continues to tell the stories and backgrounds of the rest of the Swiss Design style's founders and developers. Each having a unique and innovative idea to contribute to its growing popularity. Max Bill used the concepts from art concrete to produce very mathematically driven bright desings in his architecture and sculptures. Stankowski was an influential photographer who was eventually commissioned to participate in a design program being started in Berlin in 1968. And so on and so forth.

2. Name the one thing (or person) you found most interesting from the reading.

I found Stankowski to be very interesting and was dissapointed that he wasn't as expanded on in the book as other designers from the era. It was nice to read about someone that used arithmatic influences and simplicity in photography. I just thought it was cool because I viewed it as a kind of follow up to Man Ray in a different style.

3. State at least one question you have after the reading or from last class.

How was something so simple and so organized so popular? I mean, these designers did a pretty good job of applying abstraction to simple shapes, especially DeHarak, but I still think it's kind of a boring style after a brief viewing of a piece from this era of design.