Ftwombly hofmann

Armin Hofmann Kunsthalle Haus 20 June 1920 bis Present Swiss Born Swiss Design

Taglich 10 bis 17 Uhr Sammstag 9 bis 12 Uhr

DESIGN, FORM, FUNCTION

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he Swiss born Armin Hofmann, began his career as a lithographer in Basel and Bern, Switzerland, as his style grew, Hofmann opened his own design studio.

Hofmann’s most common form of communication dealt with posters, the conveyance of information on a single sheet. His style was in step with many of his peers of the day. they pioneered what became “Swiss Style” and then moved on to be called “International Style” of Graphic Design.

In a chance happening he met Emil Ruder on a train and was told there was a teaching position at the Basel School of Arts and Crafts. During his 40 years in the school teaching he was head of the school.

The minimalist asymmetry of text and design were instantly recognizable in this newly emerging genre of design.

The use of simple shapes, high contrast, basic color palette, and the occasional photograph kept things simple. These attributes coupled with the clean sansserif fonts along with using a grid continued the cleanliness of the page.

By distilling the content both typographically and photographically, brought things down to the most minimal form yet still competently convey the message, this is how Hofmann created his works.

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1. Herman Miller Collection 2. Unknown date portrait

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he use of negative space with white space furthered the uncluttered transfer of information. By use of minimalist high contrast his works were placed within a cluttered city background, in this way the message became even more clarified.

“Another reson for my interest in the use of black-and-white in design lies in my intense preoccupation with the forms and analysis of signs and symbols.�

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6 3. Henry Moore Bildhauer 4. Saison-Beginn 5. Kunsterziehung 6. Bis Zur Moderne

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“Color has driven photography entirely from the domain of reading and ba nished it to the realm of viewing.�

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ringing in that piece of color attracts and holds your attention, the crux is when to use it along with where.

Hofmann is a master of this strategy, employing his talent and foresight to create and engage.

By drawing the attention of passers by, the poster has done its job of being an advertisement.

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10 7. Deutsche Kunstler der Gegenwart 8. Wir eroeffenen 9. Plakate aus der Sammlung 10. Phillip Martin

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s with one of his better known posters for the ballet “Giselle”, the name and information are simple sans-serif font, the name of the ballet is vertical with the dot of the “i” perfectly spaced on the negative space on the photograph of the pirouetting ballerina.

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Without saying ballet, you already know that is what this event is about, the name of it, along with when and where to attend.

The combination of both Graphics and Photograph vhas achieved sublime balance with the eye of this master.

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“An object represented photographically in black and white demands symbolic interpretation; any abstract traits, however, disappear completely when color is introduced.”

14 11. Biselle 12. Armin Hofmann 13. Wilhelm Tell 14. Stadt Theater Basel

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Armin Hofmann Written and designed by Frederick Twombly Composted in Neue Haas Grotesk typeface designed by Eduard Hoffmann in 1957 Printed from a Toshiba 2089 onto Hammermill 80# Cover Copyright Š 2016 Frederick Twombly,

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