presenting...eduard hoffmann brief history born in zürich may 26, 1892.! studied technology and...
TRANSCRIPT
Presenting
Max Miedinger Jordan N Anderson
Max Miedinger
Brief History
❖ Born in Zürich 1910 - 1980.!❖ Age 16 - longed to be a painter.!❖ “First learn a proper trade.”!❖ 1926 - apprenticeship as a type setter !❖ “I want to be a designer, not spend the
rest of my life fiddling with columns of type in galleys.”!
❖ Zurich School of Arts and Crafts.!❖ Night classes - Kunstge Werbeschule
Career Timeline❖ 1936 - 1946 Typographer in the Globus department chain - Zürich.!❖ 1947 - 1956 Customer counselor/typeface sales representative for
the Haas’sche Schriftgießerei - Münchenstein.!❖ 1956 - 1957 Became a freelance graphic artist with a fair amount of
success - Zürich.!❖ 1957 Eduard Hoffmann being impressed, approached Miedinger
to discuss his “secret project”, which would bring the Haas foundry new commercial success.!
❖ 1957 - 1961 Co-Designed ‘Neue Hass Grotesk’ later got renamed Helvetica.
Eduard Hoffmann
Brief History
❖ Born in Zürich May 26, 1892.!❖ Studied technology and engineering -
Zürich, Berlin, and Munich.!❖ 25 years old - took position under director
his uncle Max Krayer at Hass’sche Schriftgiesserei - Münchenstein, Switzerland.!
❖ 1937 became co-manager of the company!❖ 1944 became sole manager after uncle died. !❖ 1950 Hoffmann decides to make a new Sans
Serif in the Swiss market to compete with European countries.
Helvetica
Quick Look
❖ Original designer Günter Gerhard Lange 1921-2008 ‘Akzidenz Grotesk’!
❖ In a reaction to swiss movement ‘Miedinger and Hoffmenn recreated as Neue Hass Grotesk!
❖ The Hass type foundry was majority owned by D. Stempel AG. - Liontype.!
❖ Helvetia - latin for Switzerland, Helvetica - The Swiss Typeface!
❖ Became face of Swiss.
–David Carson
“If you have no intuitive sense of design, then call yourself an information architect and only use
Helvetica.”
–Steff Geissbuhler
“I have never designed a logotype without first trying it in Helvetica. It is still the most versatile,
classic and readable of all typefaces.”
–Hamish Muir
“We hate to like Helvetica.”
Max Miedinger
The Typographer
❖ Miedinger !❖ Miedinger Bold!❖ Monospace 821!❖ Neue Haas Grotesk Display!❖ Neue Haas Grotesk Display Black !❖ Neue Haas Grotesk Display Extra Thin!❖ Neue Haas Grotesk Text!❖ Neue Haas Grotesk Text Bold !❖ Swiss 721!❖ Swiss 921!
–Nick Carson
“It's the eternal question for graphic designers the world over: Something like Helvetica, but not
Helvetica.”
Max Miedinger
The End Any Questions ?