Josef Muller-Brockmann Overview

The highly modern, reductive style associated with the Swiss design ethic owes its existence in large part to Josef Muller-Brockmann, founder of the tri-lingual journal, "New Graphic Design." Strongly influenced by Contructivism, Muller-Brockmann is best known for his work with posters... [more]

The highly modern, reductive style associated with the Swiss design ethic owes its existence in large part to Josef Muller-Brockmann, founder of the tri-lingual journal, "New Graphic Design." Strongly influenced by Contructivism, Muller-Brockmann is best known for his work with posters and signage. His 1951 series of concert posters were a definitive statement of his style. Very geometric, strongly unemotional, and committed to total abstraction, these influential posters create a mathematical harmony that reflects the harmony of music. There is an utopian undercurrent to Constructivist art that rejects the past and looks forward to a world of understanding, unity, and peace. In Muller-Brockmann, this undercurrent manifests itself in his advocacy of socially responsible design and in his public health and safety posters. One poster he designed for the Swiss Automobile Club depicts a child dodging the tilted front wheel of a motorcycle. The text reads: "Protect that child." Muller-Brockmann studied architecture, design, and art history in Zurich. He opened his own studio and, more than 30 years later, founded "New Graphic Design," which was responsible for spreading the Swiss design ethic internationally. He also authored the books "History of Visual Communications" and "History of the Poster." [show less]