I love the work of the Swiss designer Josef Müller-Brockmann, his ability to create visually appealing designs from simple techniques is stunning. This style is (I hope) something I try to achieve in my design approach, described as ‘objective, radically minimalist geometric design’ Müller-Brockmann was a ‘leading practitioner and theorist of the Swiss Style, which sought a universal graphic expression through a grid-based design purged of extraneous illustration and subjective feeling.’
Although I also love over-elaborate designs, my heart will always veer towards the simple and minimalist (in my likes and design style), not because I don’t like decoration, there is plenty of space for decorative designs, but I just feel that when attempting to communicate a message that the message is the most important part of the design that should be enhanced not overawed by the visual stimulus around it.
From the man himself:
In my work, however, I have always aspired to a distinct arrangement of typographic and pictorial elements, the clear identification of priorities. The formal organisation of the surface by means of the grid, a knowledge of the rules that govern legibility (line length, word and letter spacing and so on) and the meaningful use of colour are among the tools a designer must master in order to complete his or her task in a rational and economic manner.
What I try to achieve in my work is to communicate information about an idea, event or product as clearly as possible. Such a down-to-earth presentation is barely affected by present-day trends. But it is not so much a question of making a statement that will be valid for all time as of being able to communicate information to the recipient in a way that leaves him or her free to form a positive or negative opinion . . .
