Armin HofmannUnnecessary Excess

An

Intr

od

uct

ion

ArminHofmann

2

June 29, 1920

Armin Hofmann was born June 29, and grew up

during the great era of Swiss Design. He began his career at an

early age of 26 teaching at the Basel School of Arts and Crafts.

he continued teaching there for 40 years. His teaching method

set new standards and his ideas and practices becaome widely

known internationally. Armin Hofmann’s work is widely varied

from posters, stage designs, logos, typographic work, orientaion

systems and three dimensional design, yet his black and white

poster work is best known.

The poster represents a graphic challenge and an educational

tool, because the poster demands clarity at a distance and

several other levels. The Goal is to create an image that works

formally, structurally and works as a powerful communicator. A

poster is for viewing at every distance and at every level.

Winterthur,

Switzerland

1920

3

Graded gray values and subtle juxtaposi-

tions of light and dark leave more of an

impact and lasting impression than gaudy,

colorful images the entertainment industry

provides. The gray values and tones leave

the viewr to gain a sense of reality by way

of interpreting an actual event, not to be

mixed with the confusion of artificial color

and false sense of reality.

4

A Counter-Picture

“

”

With my simply

constructed

black-and-

white post-

ers I have

endavored to

do something

to counteract

the increasing

trivialization of

color evident

since the Sec-

ond World War

on bill boards,

in modern

utensils and in

the entertain-

ment industry.

I tried to create

a kind of coun-

terpicture.Armin Hofmann

A Counter-Picture

Stadt Theater Basel, 1962.

”“Kingsize posters, of the kind favored by the

food, tobacco and beverage industry, are, log-

ically enough, increasingly stamped by this

machine-made artwork and its color excess.

The excess amounts of color pushed in

new technological practices detract from

the definite meaning of the work. We as

humans see in color, we view the world

in color and are continuously exposed to

it. We overlook the symbolic quality and

the inherent details in design and creative

thinking when we are over exposed. The

porcess of creating a counter-picture to the

world we see is a way to tap into something

more meaningful and instrumental.

6

Armin Hofmann

Arm

in H

ofm

ann

Post

ers

8

“Installation View of the Exhibition, Posters by Armin Hofmann, 1981, MOMA, New York.

In contra

st to th

is artific

aially contri

ved

world in

which th

ere is

ever le

ss dis-

criminatio

n betweem appeara

nce and

reality

, I have

tried to

give th

e symbolic

character o

f the picture

more

attentio

n.

9

”“

Armin Hofmann

People no doubt still fail to realize

that, amidst streams of light, amidst

words, noises and background music,

color inevitably loses its own musical-

ity, Its inner substance breaks down

under conditions where there is a

continual interfusion of motifs and in

fields where the most important posi-

tions in terms of design have already

been pre-emted by other elements. It

was this realization that strengthened

my resolve to use color sparingly in

posters and to see it as sharply con-

trasting with the multicolored profu-

sion of television. I was guided by the

idea that finely tuned patches of color

within large, neutral areas can gener-

ate greater expressive energy.

10

”

“

Armin Hofmann

Gise

lle, B

asler

Fre

ilich

tspie

le, 1

959.

Pos

ter

Hofmann, Armin, Graphic Design Manual, Principles and Prac-tice. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1965.

Hollis, Richard, Swiss Graphic Design, The Origins and Growth of an International Style, 1920-1965. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2006.

Wichmann, Hans, Armin Hofmann, His Work, Quest and Phi-losphy. Basel: 1989.

Designed by Kim OrtengrenTypeset by Kim Ortengren, Inc., Portland, MainePrinted and bound by Maine College of Art, Portland, MaineComposed in Akzidenz Grotesk, typeface designed by Gunter Gerhard Lang and Issued by Berthold in 1896. Garamond, de-signed by Claude Garamond.Printed on cardstock, whiteBound in saddle stitch.