THE TYPE
ISSUE 2
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017
WOLF GANG WEIN GART ISSUE 2
19
Magazine
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Typographic Poster 1971- 1974
One of the most influential typographers since the 1970’s, Wolfgang Weingart, was an experimental art heart, beginning back to the age of 17 where he first set metal type. Over time, he continued to learn and grow his understanding of type but also possessing his own approach to design methods. it is descirbed that “a dropped case of six-point type served as the basis for his round compositions. He scooped the type up from the floor and tied it up to form a disc. By printing both the faces and the bottoms of the bodies of the metal type sorts, he achieved the illusion of depth. The discs became spheres”, Philip Burton, AIGA 2013. Other methods of Weingarts included stacking and layering film positives to create a photo-mechanical montage by creating the juxtapositions of text, imagery and textural effects.
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I took 'Swiss Typography' as my starting point, but then I blew it apart, never forcing any style upon my students. I never intended to create a 'style'. It just happened that the students picked up—and misinterpreted—a so-called 'Weingart style' and spread it around.
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The Type Magazine
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Wolfgang Weingart
Swiss Punk
Graphics Collection - 1962
THE FATHER
it wasn’t until 1963 before Weingart had met Emil Ruder, and Armin Hofmann and made the move to Basel in 1964 to begin his study at the Basel School of Design. Following this, in 1968, Hofmann and Ruder created an advanced graphicdesign program for postgraduate professionals at the Basel School, and invited Weingart to teach typography. A bold move, but great move, especially for the then-unknown Wolfgang Weingart as his teachings then proved highly sought after and influential. He taught and lectured up until 2005 and over this period of time, he taught and lectured throughout Europe, North and South America, Asia, Australia and New Zealand. It was his students that dubbed his style as ‘Weingart Style’ and let it catch on, however Weingart says he “never intended to create a ‘style’. It just happened that the students picked up and misinterpreted—a so-called ‘Weingart style’ and spread it around.”
During a discussion with Terry Irwin (Philip Burton, 2013), a former student of Weingarts’ from 1983 to 1986, she recalls of her time spent in the classroom, reminiscing “You’d have multiple sketches laid out on your table, and you were trying something here, and then you were moving it around here,” she
explains. “He would come around and tell you the impression it was giving, so you were trying to figure out what that meant. And you’d move it around a little more—probably still confused—and he’d come around and say, ‘Yes, better.’ And then he’d leave. And you’d be trying to figure out why it was better. But you came to understand ‘why’ yourself through these comments....It was an incredibly impactful way to learn.” It is comments like these that make it is easy to understand how Wolfgang Weingart has become such a wellknown and influential lecturer and typographer with his unique style and teaching methods, and it is his very style that led him to achieving awards for his work such as the Doctor of Fine Arts from MassArt, in 2005, and even more recently in 2013, the AIGA Medal at the ‘Bright Lights: The AIGA Awards’, in New York City.
Typographic Poster 1982 - 1983
Even during his time of teaching, he produced many impressive experimental works including posters, cover designs and call-for-entry designs for Typographische Monatsblätter magazine where he even served on the editorial board between 1970 to 1988. Another influential design he created includes a poster designed and printed for photographer, John Glagola in 1976. This poster includes wide silver bars printed across John Glagola’s name, “heralding the decline of foundry type as a viable commercial means of printing” explains Philip Burton, 2013. Typographic Poster 1981 ISSUE 2
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“
For me
Typography is a triangular relationship
between design idea, typographic elements,
�
and printing technique Typographie Cover Design, Issue 11 - 1973 4
The Type Magazine
Wolfgang Weingart