Josef Müller-Brockmann #2

Müller-Brockmann, Josef. "Überholem..? Im Zweifel nie! (Overtaking? When in doubt, never!)". 1957.

This piece again uses photography as the leading characteristic. This composition caught my attention with the use of off-center images where the vehicles are primarily off the page, while the biker is off-center, following the rule of thirds. What is also interesting is the stark contrast between the black and white photographs and the flat color road and background. It almost causes the image to have a collage like effect. I like the idea of using contrasting elements in my work such as photography versus flat color or illustration.  

Josef Müller-Brockmann #1

 

Müller-Brockmann, Josef. "Das Freundliche Handzeichen, Schützt vor Unfällen1954Das Freundliche Handzeichen, Schützt vor Unfällen". 1954.

For these next five pieces I focused on picking images that utilize photography as one of the main characteristics for Swiss style. Although each piece incorporates multiple elements of Swiss design, the use of photography over illustration is overarching. 

The image above by Josef Müller-Brockmann is a great example of Swiss style. What caught my attention in this piece is the use of double exposure imagery. The composition and color choices for this piece are minimalistic but eye appealing. The reaching hand is in the foreground of the image while the background image still manages to pull through to the foreground. I found this composition to be interesting and successful as a part of Swiss style.

Ernst Keller #5

 

Keller, Ernst. "Museum Rietberg Zurich". 1955.

This is the final piece of Kellers that I will be discussing. I picked to analyze this piece because it is very different from what we've already seen from Keller. Again, there is a lack of photography and the use of illustration in this piece, but what really caught my attention was the overall composition. From the color scheme to the use of positive and negative space, this piece stands out from others. It still does a good job in capturing the characteristics of the style, but it also does something we haven't seen much from Kellers other works. This piece is more detailed than usual. Still sticking with a theme of geometric shapes this image works to create a more cohesive rather than asymmetrical image. The way the snake wraps around the text boxing it into itself was an interesting way to lead your eye to the important information. Although this image stands out from the others it is still a valued image to understand when learning about Swiss style.

Ernst Keller #4

Keller, Ernst. "Twice as many free voters as members of all parties decide about party politics (Doppelt so viele freie Wähler als Mitglieder aller Parteien entscheiden unsere Parteipolitik) (Poster for Swiss Landesring political party)". 1946.

I gravitated towards this image for many reasons. The longer you look, the more you see in this image. At a quick glance I see repeated outlines of a person in a circular pattern. As you keep looking you notice how each outline contains two colors, giving depth and shadows the outline, making the image less flat. Again, simple minimal color scheme makes the busy image easier on the eyes. This image utilizes less positive and negative space than in Kellers other works, and again lacks an element of photography but still encompasses many of the of characteristics of the style. 

Ernst Keller #3

 

Keller, Ernst. "Verpfuschter Zahn, Verpfuschte Gesundheit, Zahntechniker-Initiative, Nein". 1946.

This piece really caught my attention because of the illustration. I found this interesting because Swiss style values photography over illustration. I chose to include this in my blog because although it lacks elements of photography it still incorporates other characteristic of the style including asymmetrical and grid-like layout, as well as minimalistic flat/overlapping colors. This piece utilizes positive and negative space well which adds to the successful composition.  

Ernst Keller #2

 

Keller, Ernst. "Möbel Wettbewerb fuer die Ausstellung "Das Neue Heim" (Furniture Competition for the Exhibition "The New Home")". (Furniture Competition for the Exhibition "The New Home")". 1928.

This image is similar to the last in the means of background and foreground information. There are messages written that are overlapped but still readable. I think this is a smart way to give a minimalistic image more depth. Another thing I enjoy in this piece is the use of flat colors and only a few. The use of only black, orange, and white help the message pop and creates nice contrast across the page. 

Ernst Keller #1

 

Keller, Ernst. "Werkstatt Arbeiten der Bewerbeschule Zuerich". 1927.

For this week I've chosen to dig deeper into two of the most prominent designers in the Swiss style era. Ernst Keller was a leader in the forefront of the Swiss movement with his straightforward, easy to read designs, an important characteristic of the movement. 

The piece above does a great job in capturing the simplicity of the Swiss style with its bold sans serif typeface, with the text flush left. I picked this image because of the contrasting element of the bright red box that lays diagonally across the message in the background. I like this because it brings forward an element of information that is important or might be otherwise overlooked to the forefront.