HERBERT MATTER MATTER HERBERT
H
erbert Matter was a modernist Swiss graphic designer and photographer best known for developing a style that combined photography and design through photomontage, as well
as through the use of dynamic scale, and typography. Herbert Matter’s artwork changed the way graphic design was thought of, by being able to fulfill the client’s commercial needs, while at the same time creating something aesthetically beautiful enough to be considered art. His great passion and focus for his work would ultimately win him a profound sense of respect from colleagues and clients alike. He had a strong sense of design that allowed him to carry out a client’s petition far better than what they could expect or imagine. Matter would not only be set apart by his unique style but also by his character which impressed most who had the opportunity to meet or work with him. His close friend and fellow designer Paul Rand would come to say this about him: “The absence of pomposity was characteristic of this guy.” This may have caused Matter to not have the fame others have received; nonetheless his work deserves the same recognition for it is of excellent effectiveness and groundbreaking aesthetics. Herbert Matter, Self Portrait, 1950s.
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EARLY LIFE came to an end in 1932, due to his lack of proper documentation to stay in the country. This led him to move back to his hometown in Switzerland, where he began to work for the Swiss Tourism Office. Here he designed some of his best work and established his design style. He remained working there until 1936, when he was invited to take a trip to New York as a payment for work he had done for a Swiss ballet troupe. Matter then decided to remain in the United States to work and live for the rest of his life. It was during this period of time that he received some of his most important commissions.
2 Herbert Matter, Woman with Beads, 1948.
Herbert Matter was born in Engelbergh, Switzerland in 1907. It is where he was exposed to beautiful medieval graphics that sparked his interest in art and design. By 1927 had already graduated from the Ecole des Beaux-Arts and began to study painting at the Academie Modern in Paris under mentors Fernand LĂŠger and AmĂŠdĂŠe Ozefant. However, it did not take long before his growing interest in photography and design led him to accept a job offer in 1929 at the Deberny and Piegnot design studio. Here he had the opportunity to work with A.M Cassandre and Le Corbusier while learning to design letterforms. This is something he would continue to do throughout his career. His time in Paris Herbert Matter, Girl Swimmer with Wait Hair (Trud Hess).
PHOTOGRAPHY Arriving in New York, he worked mainly as a photographer
nitely had a passion for photography and graphic design, he
for clients such as Saks Fifth Avenue and Harper’s Bazaar
also explored other media such as film directing. His first proj-
magazine, and eventually he joined the Studio Associates
ect was to direct a film for The Museum of Modern Art about
photographic studio where he also worked for Vogue. Matter
close friend and fellow artist, Alexander Calder. Although it
experimented a lot with his photography, especially utilizing
was his first time working in film, and it was considered to be
light painting techniques and multiple exposure photographs.
outside of his territory, the film itself would become one of
These are shown in his photograph Woman with Bead, where
the best in its genre. Perhaps the reason for the success of the
a portrait of a woman with beads on top, utilizing the multiple
film was due to the sympathetic and deep understanding that
exposure process, creating an interesting contrast of subject
only one kindred spirit of an artist can have for another.
matter and compositions. Women were his usual subjects, as well as abstract shapes. He also constantly used his photography skills in his graphic design work. It was that kind of work that would set him apart in the design world. While he defi-
Herbert Matter, Harper’s Bazaar Cover, 1936.
Herbert Matter, Untitled, 1936.
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GRAPHIC DESIGN Matter worked in several different design projects through out his career, the best known were the posters and advertisement he did for the Swiss Tourism Office, due to the effectiveness promoting travel to Switzerland and the creativity behind the designs. One of the posters he did titled Pontresina is a perfect example of the work he began to do there and would continue to experiment with throughout his career. The poster features a photograph of an athletic person, creating high contrast with the background, utilizing a dramatic shift in scale. He includes a small skier in the back to further enhance the scale difference and to help promote the activities offered to tourist. Once in New York when World War I began, he designed posters for the Container Corporation of America and after the War became the design consultant at Knoll. He would work there for over 12 years, designing mainly cata-
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logues and advertisements in which he would incorporate either his photography or just typography. This work caught the eye of the the first director of Yale’s graduate program for
Herbert Matter, America Calling - Take Your Place in Civilian Defense, 1941.
graphic design, Alvin Eisenman, who said this about him,
rong t s a ad
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ert h exem “Herb s a w the r is o h f t d d he di s, an l i y a h t p e d pogra y man t n d e e s i h s E gui Alvin — distin es” u g o l a cat Knoll
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Herbert Matter, Pontresina Engadin, 1941.
In 1952, he was asked by Eisenman to join the Yale faculty and become a graphic design and photography professor. He remained teaching there until 1976. He was a wonderful teacher according to Eisenman and had the opportunity to teach a variety of designers that would come to be some of the most important in their field, such as Jessica Helfand and John T. Hill. It was during his time at Yale that he explored the field of architecture by designing studio space in buildings that were designed by Louis Kahn and Paul Rudolf.
Herbert Matter, Francis Bacon, 1963.
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He was also hired in 1954 to create the corporate identity of the New Haven Railroad. His work with the company would come to be one of the most recognizable designs in America. While still teaching at Yale, he became a design consultant for the Guggenheim Museum, where he would continue to work with typography such as he had learned from A.M Cassandre back in Paris. The material he designed included posters and catalogues, which are in print still today. He would later receive the Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship for photography in 1980 and the AIGA (The American Institute of Graphic Art) medal in 1983 only a year before his death in 1984.
Herbert Matter, Unwrapped Woman, 1956.
Herbert Matter, Engelberg, 1935.
Herbert Matter, Arts and Architecture Cover, 1944.
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MATTER 8
LEGACY Matter’s artwork, although very innovative and new during his time period, included a similar base structure for several of his poster designs, changing only some variables such as the typography and photographs, but the use of very radical scale changes to create contrast between elements, the dynamic angles of the photographs themselves, and the careful and slight use of color in them would remain very similar throughout his career. This did not indicate a lack of creativity, but on the contrary, his design restraint serves as an inspiration to many artists due to the timeless and minimalist look he achieved. His work is credited to have influenced the young Jackson Pollock, who worked for Matter at the beginning of his career, when he was experimenting with light mostly through photography. However he was not the only one to have been influenced by him; many since have paid tribute to him through their work or have learned from his techniques. One of the most well known is an ad campaign for Swatch developed and designed by Paula Scher in 1984 where she pays homage to the designs Matter did for the Swiss Tourism Office. Besides the fact that they fit perfectly with the campaign of Swatch, Scher believed Matter deserved more recognition for his excellent and ingenious design. Ultimately Matter left a huge impact on the art world, whether or not many know his name, the legacy of his work influences and inspires designers today.
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Herbert Matter, New Haven Railroad, 1952-1955.
Herbert Matter, Zurich, 1934.
Paula Scher, Swatch, 1984.