.''.{.-.

-:

HOW CAN ONE

I q7 2

AKT SWISS TYPOCRAPHV:

Wotfqang tvetn.qan

A RlDtcAL THTNKEp, DE\tuNER.

a
h t a4 t t atended rhe Kr,",r";;b;.','h;,;::

al prstnr(t",

l:::e

i"q

worsanp u,,nea, t

:;:::i';;i;:,^;:;:;:ti;::..*l;iii::;::i:::!;:;l:::::,:;";,,";;':;:;;;:
tv.ha,apn:"ds-^,;,"s;;;:;,,;;;;;;i.':tt.Pt'e::t.d'nilcpo,her",",t,unoipi,,"",.

v.erbat .uat sys,a, t,;;,i""',,',,",,"ii,,,'if. atk.trative tuodpt' b"s,a ,, , ,e.o,,t,,,,ea

te': te- r ;w ot An;",,,;; ):,".:'.::,::.i.. pa't',u!:, t:,u,c o,,snatty e'"n ,!r,np a
t)te,h, ques,nniwhe
theo11,,.at :,ppo,,tion,
tu,,t*,e,-nt
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;:;;.;.'t'.
,a
ta.n! Ld'"d ,t: tpd.hns |
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prcdi nbte nannen,n,_r,,;;,;
;;; ,;:;:".'.:ot.],ld r,*,,p*,,g-w,i,s* ,,,s te,,
.'ppd b,,h in ,"
iart.
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i,,i ;;:,':,::.::.:::,i:.!
p,d!'hart cxeria."*,
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atd
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be rc"'de,ed, in fie
and ta,\ t e80". ,0, .t,.
tdre t a-0.
rr"i, ) ,,")#",,:'_';tutd

**,

WH AT I5 'SWISS TYPOGRAPHY':

:-*

lllJ'l:ll:. :::"" *,"*';onl.'.""i"1:;:l';'::I'J

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jj,,r,;},.1j,l
',,"*f ,ig,-,:l*".,r,.,.rr.,*,*f
,ror come nerc to brrns v,
rhe n posrdph,c
--.,* .i _,",,., 'F-;',;:T;:,1":ii::
to rnfurn, vou abour mv .chuoi

;:1,.,,,*,
,,,11,!yrr o,

nor say .teaching .icrivities.because

r-l
I
.n.,:;."L:,",1

{,rh_ npoerJphv and rphrc

.r.,,g" aoin
sr
\eorr"red hom onc Jnorhe,
t
", ,e.m ro rmplv_on rhc
rrilry. rs lou wrI see
lbr vourlelfhF.
Because I come frorn
Snirzerlanr

c.n

=,.i-"
+

r'p.g,"pi.',. ;;'l;:':..*.?::'l,ir"i
1::",::,1::1.,, ".,ra r;t. -.,ppi.,"..,,

tl":'t:'",*

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;;,-;;:.: o-.-_-

I."-:^t_:lt:especuuyro,r.-r",-ir'",.,'lil'l:T".:J:i*+

;:1'il.":;:.::J;:il:::;:il::*:1,:i,ili;:1I,,x-ffiffi;

(r,,r. L,ne .rrri, ri.r ,. ,h. weli_tnor^n,

modcrJre-obJcrove or rJUunrl
dire.tion trrh jr' de'r<n
prrn. rpre rrd ,,. r*.
,c,"1"., :,).''w'
dency toL,:rds a rivcry,

re,il;il;:.?;r"d#;

[:;

renounces extcnsilc design dogma, .rnd tends to look unorthodox. Bur this second
direcrion is unthinkrblc withouc the classicrl'Swiss Typogrrphy,' in thar rr is a logical
turrher development ofrt.Thrt is the kind oftypogrrphy which, together with my studenrs, I havc tried to develop for the past 6ve ycars With that, I end my introduction.
I would likc to summarize what you can expecr in the next sixry minures: a
confrontaiion with the lcgendary concept of'Swrss TypographX' and a very personal
statemenr of a very personal concept of typoguph], rnd rypography education. (For
some peoplc, maybe too penonal).
But 6rsr, the ansrver ro a question which I am repeatedly asked. and perhaps
one thar may be in the minds of some of you here: 'How did you come ro teach
rypography in Bade. Wcingart?
The short answer is rhat in 1963, by chance. I met Armin Ho&nann. Actuail):,
I or,1y rvanted to inquirc about his and Emil Ruder! clases. I showed a ferv rypographic desigas that I had brought from Germanv, and as far as I can remember there
were three designs in particutar (right) which enablcd mc to begin study wrrh both
teachers one year latcr.The attempr to learn wpography wrrh Emil Ruder failed.l felc
myself les of a studenr, :nd more oF an observer. In this role I remained free from
rypographic dogma. and critical in the face of design crireria. A1so, the conracr with
Armin Hofinann was. at rhat dme, very short-he lelt our school for some time and
went ro rhe national Design Institute in Ahmedabad. India. In that respect, I feel that
I am neirher a Ho6nann strdent, nor a Ruder student, bur insread, self-taughr.
Through my way ofmaking rypography, and through publicarions in rechnF
cal journals, my relatronship

School was drsEanr but friendlr lpcciallv

Eo rhe Basle

wl(h Armin Hofmann. qho

has acovelv supponcd my
ideas all along. I can stil1
remember the question in
1963 as to wherher I would
hke to teach typographv for
him in the near future.
In spring 1961t thc
Advanced Course for Craphic Design was started, and
todall as lar as I knorv, it remains a solitary nlodel in
Switzerland, as wcll as the rest oF Eurcpe. It is a$ended
predominandy by foreign students. rhe mrjoriw liom
America.Wirhin rhis course, a posiiion in rhe typogmphy
iaculw was open. and so I began.
Up until thrt tine it was accepted that thc
wpographv teachers and studencs rvould teach rnd learn
qpographv .rccording to the patented concept of'Swiss

ffi,::E-;F

Typ ograph-v'

What then, is ro be understood bv thc term 'Swrss Typoeraphv?'We can

attempt to explain thi! coorplex concept perhaps wrth the aid of rhese frve especially
rypical examples:
With them, vou !.D sce rhat certain desrgn principles arc very predominant.
That rs. ceftain char.rctcrirocs likc the typc stvle, design structure and grav value
became nrmediatel,r obvious in the trrined obscrvcr. Evcrythnrg is based on the right

angle, and everyrhrnq is ordered wirh regard ro maierials and rhe hand_serrine
process.
The esscnrial goal is to inplicare rhe unprinted whire space :s a design f;cror.
The
criteria for this are rhe r\\o rarher puriranic.rl concepts of.informationi and its re:,1_

in their complex meaning, are simplified. We are in agreemcnr thar

ofall rhe progres and knowledge in connnunictions research. there n
definidon ofwhar is r reasonable. aair, unmanipulared message. coniptetcl.,,

ability,' which,
today. in spire

no reliable
6om the quesrion ofwhecher rhere could. or cven should be suct , a.n"t,;".
Furthermore, ir n aho difrculc ro explain how a mcsage cor_r1d be translared.
wpo_
graphicaly, ),er remain efecrive.
Here is lvherc I began, because when all ofrhe previous quesrions are unan
swered, rhen 'Swiss Typographv' can be ontv one of many posible diredions,
and in
no way, as some ofits advocates rssume. rhe absolute typography.The decidine factor
for mc r. ro rake the oergn . rrrena of Swr . Tvpogtuoh!. r. a ,en.rbte p,inr oideprr
ru'e, Jnd rhrough rercn.ne and crpe, imenr"oon. (o Jevetop n(s de.rgn modet.. rincc
rhe bcginning. I have bcen conscious ofwhat mv responsibitities are as a rlpoeraphv
teacher in Basle. Ir was never rhe idea ro throw either .B,sle,or .S-rss T;og;a;h;,
overboard, bur rather ro attempr to expand them-ro entiven and .t *g. ri.l,
*iif,
the heip ofinrensivel,\, consrdered design crireria and new visuai iders. Final{ the re:
.onforthr le. rure r. ro p-c.en, ,l-e re.!rtr. or . rej"rrretr .horr per od or dereloprcnr
in both our class wrcrk and mv own experimenratron.
I think I should explain what I undersrand bv.he rerms,teaching merhod,
and tchool.' k seems importanr ro me, because such a de6nirion will make the following pifturcs:nd theories more
ffid"*,"d
understandable.
2/utbk
'Schooi,'for me, rs.rn insiitution which, rhrough a cer
r]in reaching program, a(emprs ro clari6,. ccrrain infbrmarion.
This inaomration rs essen.ially indcpendent trom lhe concrere
demands made by exisring profassioul srandards.The reaching
progrrms are open, nor bound by 6xed opinions.The conrenr
ofthe proeram is deternined and consranrlv devetoped in rhe
school. Ir is imporrant thar'school'maintarns rn erpertmenrJ character.The s.udenrs
should nor be srven irrevocable knorvledec or values. bur insread, the opportuniw ro
independenrlr .earch f,,r .u,h \rlue. Jnd Lnowtedg.. ro devetop ,hem.
"nd t..rn ,o
apply rhem.
The resuh oa such schooting is not a programmed
rypogrphv bur rnxe.o. , wpogtuphv o, g-aphr. oe.rmcr 1972
who. -. .t"rung pi)rnL rn nr\ pracr, ri uork. n,\ ,h< po..r. Hsusmitteilungen
"
b,lrrre. ,nd potenti,.'ric of nposrrphr de:re rn rr.
6'ln*1i#l?rrr;.
Thx vierv is acrually the rrademark oF rhe Basle schoot: pro- Basei
viding thorough basic knowledge abour design possibiJrries
and consranrlv developing Jnd building upon rhis knowiedge. Nor.just the 6nding of
p.e-ser desien patterns! but insread, rhc arrempt to tuin rhe \enses ro recognize aiter
n:rive design direftions, and to use each of these direcrions with equat imporrance.
instead ofsearching for rypographic expresion, our cducarjonal goal is ro tind diFer_
entirted tl pographic solurions.
In m,v rvpographv clas one can 6nd both middte-aris and stmns grid srytcs
bcside thc rieer, more flcrible exerclses.The prerequisi.e, e\clusivelx rs rhrr t'br eveN
.olutron a rc'ren
be dcvetrpcd wrrh h"r.,hc ,ndrvrdult ;ceJom ,.o
large thit, iilr c\rmple, .rn'uulv design can becomc a.beaLrtiful,desien
aside

gra,p

I hope thar mv short dcinrtion h.rs ma,lc clcar ro

you what kind of'rchoot'w.e rre srriving for in Baslc. and
how these ideas operarc relativc ro rhe goals, lnerhods and
criteria otmy rypography course.Then. rvhen you know
rhese didadic ideas, you will tind rhar the abundant possib rties of'Swrss Typognphy,' which I wil sholv you. are
a natural conscquence of them.
Wuh ihar, I beleve I have clarified why I n1ust

if I w:rnr to speak
about rypography. For me. one is nor possible without
the other
Back to our rheme:'How Can One Make Swis Typographv?, Obviouslv rhe
que:rron hr: a double meanrng. Ir. firx ob.Jecnvc rs Sws,Tvpoer"phv. atrhough. r: ue
have seen, no one accually knows exactly whar .Swiss Typograptry,x today. ihe sec_
ond aim ofthe question is that of the 'making' of typography, which is in iaeifoues_
rionrble. rn rhJr I L, qurre drmcult ro mrke ,omrrnrng rh-r on< :,nnot ex,ctlr def,""_
The ansuer ro rn) ruo-'rded que.uon i.. Fir.tlv. rU or rh ex"mple\ tiom m)
rypogrr_
phy courses and my personal rvork are 'Swns Tvpograph,v,-they t
t.e, -rai ;"
Switzeiland_ and srem Fom chcqi.l swt( qpography Secondly, you"""
will learn about
che 'making' of rhis wpography in that I shall discuss irs entire design process_rhar
is,
the preliminrry, conceprual, and design considerations, as rve| as our finat crrreria.
I do nor wanr ro overlook a dncussion about typography! right ro e!st. I
think thar irs existence hrs a sense, rs long as we have somethins ro communic,r+
and thar i, a: human berng\. ra irh very drfferenri"red .en.rr.l necd'., not as auromarons
with facrual informacion needs, capable ofbeing mechanicallv satxfied.
Derprre rhrs. I rm nor ,ure rbour rhe valuc
"nd po.rri"n of wpographv in
loday's communications scene. Cerraidy, rypographv todav does nor hr"., r"a
."""*
lead, its own life; much les so rhan in earlier times_ Bur what does this,own life,
mean? Aclually nothing rnore rhan life &om itseli for itsell sufiicient
In concrest, rhis inside cover ofrhe Roling Srones record E.rile o, Mdn Srr.er
is exa.tly rhe opposire. The artcmpr is much more ro
a4-d {ie r- u{ !16
express visuall,v those specific Roling Sronei qu:licies of
hard-rock subculture aesrhetrcs and nonconformist ;tti
tudc!: 'shabbv-beruriirl.' A Germrn music critic rnd.
j.F:""- lt
non-d.signer said oa rhis anti desien idea,, ,Thi cover,
,5j- =:-i+ r.!;
=.!+
wi.h all rrs vulgarin and rasretessness, wo*s like an iron_
ic cormenr on the polished image which rhe Ro[ing
Srones ecquired. in rhc eves of mrnv cdrics. afcer their
hst English rour.'
nlli
Thi\ cover quesrions rhe convcnrional concepr
of cvpography. which .omnoniy means thar which crn be ser rnd princcd. tu we
knew, thx idea is verv limrted. Ir origin.rred trom r hrndcrafr ideotosr.,i,, *t
i.t, ,t...
was no place for important modern reproducrion tlrcrhods.
In contrast, u,e dc6nc q pograph,v rodar ,:s onc of many dcsign 6etds in which
the object is to producc comrnunicarion. We, rhe rvpoqraphcrs. rlciermine rvhar rhe
specific wpographic rncrns arc. rnd which olrhcse .rre to bc used.
Thn rs .}n examplc tiom rhe 1971 perer Stur.vcsanc crmpaisn in Wesr
German,rl which is probably unf.rmiLiar to most ofyou.Thx camprign, which was
one
of the most successful evcr in German adverrlsins, rxn for .tlmost ren vean with the
speak about rypogGphy insrrucrion,

gs=.-.

LHa;#trJ
ifl
#

slogan The Aronra of rhc crcrt Wide Worid..Atrer rhe

firm had decided ro dcve)op a newer, more modern crn_
paigr, the problem was how ro rerain. at leasr partial,v, rhe
old and succcstul conccprjon. One does not just throw
"w,! rhl which hrr tun,. oneJ.. welt. {. \ou ,.n rec,n
rhr .olur on. onir 'thc A-orna i. ptJ,.eJ Jbove ,he pcrer
E"-4.
i
Sru."Tesanr pack wirh rhe urrds.of rhe GrearWideWorld,
being supplied by the mrnd ofrhe German consumer
rhe,re.:1r in advemsrng. :s rtrong concepruat ideas move to the
foreground,
,
de"gn
i\ pu\hcd rnro th< b:ctground.Whar is rhe tuncrion of qpognph,v
hire? For
exaraple. rs readabitity a problem in rhx case, which must
be sof".a _,ift *"ri,t"i".:
It is because I thlnk this w:ry that my relationship wuh wpognphv.em,,ns
unbroken. I sec the uncerrarnor bur I have it tess than
--y *1.. ,i.g'."ifr..,. i".
me. there have never been any tvpograph). probtems. but
instead.,i.rl {,p.3r'ai*
problems.There is no comperirion berween rexr and picrlrre.
bu, in,*"j.,.'rfili_
AJthough therc x no picrurc involved. this csampie demonsrr.rces
clcarly rvhar
-I me"n. A, 6r
ont! d krnJ or rechni;Jl orsJ'rrz ,on .f,;.
eraphr. e cnrenr.. bur srrh nrure crrr.al ob,ir\"rion on" ,..i,,.. ,1,, ,h. t,,. ";;
.,;;.
design lies in irs synracrrcal values. Thar rs, from rhe .."r..,io, b..r..,
,*; ;_
ments as npe, format and placcmenr. I believe it is exrcrt,\, here, in the
expression of
the svnra.ric momenr, rhar thc decisivc criteria lie, in that here ,h. grrph,.
conigurarion comes ro fruirion.
".;;,"i
A parallel cxrmplc: a printed word can only tunction

TheArorno

=*!

IiTii.:.,:H:':.i.:::*1J:::::'"'.:ilTi:';:*::tBASEL
tic play.

'ucn ,

role.

In orher wordr, rt beionr.. ordenr ontv

Jt:LT:'::T"TT--;.TJ::;: ffl' ::,.;,':l : ;:j_ BAS

.lor.

FrJphrcJl loc"rio.r.

wh.r.a l-( wortd B",te i

On

LE

rhe

orher hand. the rvord Basle is undersrandable to an Engtrsh speaking person.

Basel:
German, Basle: English.

.BFEAST'

*t*
2t

--,I
3:

r=-

I woutd like ro intro,

duce rhe rheorerical concep.
of syntax hcre. because ir is
som*hrng of .r kcy concept rn
undersrandine mv view of
typographv k rs a kind offrxpoint in my design goals, and
the drive behind m,\, di&cric
work. From now on. I wilt he
repearedlv speakrng about svn
lactlc. semanhc, rnd pragmrric

relationships,n npographt
Sorne ofvou rrc probabl,v not
familiar wirh rhese elenlenrarv
concep* in reiation ro a socild coirnnurucarlons rheory
so I harr mrde r dirgrID which

!hould help illusrrarc

rhe

In this case
fundions ofsigns-The point of deparrure is rvhat one mcans by a sign''
the word breast'has rwo meaninss: the mani breast and rhe woman's brelst' I! is a
word *'rrh two complctely dilTerent meaningp Thrs prinred rvord does notjust stand
mm\ breast
rhere: it merns somerhing, a ccrtain 'breast,' which in our case will be a
The fact rhat a sign only funcdons as a sign when n refers to somdhing' or should
mean something, is c2lted rts'semanric sign-func'ion'
Thrs sign, or rypographic word-picture.'brersr" rs composed ofdifferent basic
the paper' is
signs, or le*eri. Thc relarionship of the lerters to one anolher and ro
."ll.d rh. ty,rt".ri. sign-func cion' of a sign And of course it's ciear that a sign can
only tuncrion as r sign when lhere is someone there ro rcad n, whi'h means a sign
seen. read and undersood Thrs'etrecC of
-,st be madc in such a wav rhat it crn besign-function'
This simple model demona sign betongs in the area of'pragmrtic
,trri., a .orrmrt i"uti"n Pro.ess that does not function very well The receiver (3) of
rhe messrge'breasr, undersrands a woman\ breast, which is something diferent thrn
the sendei (t) acually intended.This is a Problem lvhich we all share our designs
oroduce Jrfferent efecr.. Ou rgn' can "cqulrc r mernrng orner than rhar rntended'
ln an.uer ro the que\tron poseo l thc rheme for tni' le'ture l wo'rld hke ro
dimensay that one can od,v make rypography rodav ifone undersrands its syntrctic
rersion. More simph stated. the svntacrLc dimension in wPograPhv is. for fle, iI new
riror,v Here I see an undiscovered. surprrsrng vnual I'ocabularv, wrth more effe'tive
not
design merhods for supplving information. N.lturalh: rhese new Possibilities are
imnre*ithin e"sy reach: these first bits of knowledge rnd 6rsr nerv panerns cannot
dirtely be ransposed to a prarical level, especially not in roday! world of consumer
differen
a<lvercising, which rs based uPon inmediate visual cxhausEion The syntactic
ciation oftypographic material is more di$i'uli to achieve in such frelds as consumer
I
advertning. and is only phusible where there is a recepdve. rhinking audience' Here
close the range of ideas.
what is rhe essence ofmy merhod ofreaching ryPograPhy? My most imPortant goal in rhe tyPography class is to show the interested students-and it is only possible for me to work wnh such students-all the possib ities that tie in a rypographv
workshop. And then, to pLce these Possibilities in connection with the individual
design pioblems oleach studcnt. By possihilirie\' I mean borh rhe marerials and technical proceses rvailable in a workshop
For me. r,vpography is a rriangllar relarionship berween design idea, t-vPographic elements. and prinring technique. Everv Problem in mv chss is handled ftom
ofwhich should ever fail The thing that is so special for me'
tl,r.e
it
"rp".ts. "o"e
"s.
with regard to the valuo I place on ryPograPhic \vnt;x' is rhe vrriabiliry ofthe marerials under rhe influence ofidea and rechnique'This means 6na1lv, rhe flexibiliry wich
rvhich *pograph,v cin fundion and still reuin its mcaning, in relation to dili'erent
kinds ofproblems.All ofthe following examples were made with these consideiadons
in mind. Thev are ftee iiom every fashionable tcndencv found in adverrising and
design. They are neutral, and comparable in t vislral sense wrth basic mathematical

I hope thar thr introduftion has suflcientl,v prepared you for the following
examples. It was brt Ionger than I had planned. but I wiI conine mv discussion ofthe
I havc divided rhc Picture materi:rl into chap
iers. These chapters reiate to the different problern .rreas found in mv classes The
themes th.]t are dealt wth in these chapters incre.rse in 'omplexiry in the same way
rhat the problem: rnd metho.ls in mv ctasses over rhc vears hale bccome more 'ompiccures to onlv thac rvhich r: necesary

picx. In thrs way vou can become a student of mine fbr a while. Forger rhar vou
already know something about !)-'pography-possibly too much. Put aside your n?o,
graphic cxperiences, prejudices and aesrheric preconceptions, r! leasr for rhe nex!

TECHNI(JAL WORK AND ELEMENTARY TYPOCRAPHY

Imaginc th:t you need my course and have no ideas abour qpography. As your most
imporrant goal you want to experience as many cypographic posibilities as you can
in pcrhaps rwo years, and become independent.
Our 6rst exercrse is as follows:
In rhe 6rst fLw hours I insuuct you in typcsctting techniques and rei:ted
probtems.You set a ragged-right composrtion, print it and attempt ro improve it oprica1li.. Fmm tlls ragged-right composihon you now mrke .ompositions ofblock, middleaxis, and free line placemena.

When you have rhesc abilities ac your command, F'c can Proceed.o the sec
ond exerci\e I give you a qpcwritten manuscript rvhich ,vou set in one t-vPe size.Ihat
is rvhv vou have learncd to sct r.vpe du ng the 6rst cxercrse. Only rhe prinled *'ord
is reali+', not rhat which has been skerched or nade 6om btind rexr. Onlv with ; set
and prinred word can you rerlize its rctual length, its relarionship to orher rvords and
!o lhe enrire text. as well as ro your predesig:r:red space.
The text and lormar ofthe next eiercise (abo\) rs also devised to deepen
your 6rst experiences ofthe division ofspace. through chc studv of the placement of
let.ers and lines and their inrerrelarionships, and wirh che aid of .r certain selt-decermined program.lou attempt to orsanize vrsuall,v your namc and address rvrthin

\r nh rhe ume hmr:rror'. ro', ,rrempr ro 'ohe a ' ; i

rnore conpler. pracn.e-orrent,rcd pt"blem You ,ttenpt ,o , I I
visu:lize rhe logic and conrenr of.he text.You rry ro tind
functional rypographic design possibilities, b:sed on crneria
iikc reedabiliw, texr organizrcion, .lnd vrsurl qualiry
A, r'1i. porr,. J .iighr Jrgre^ron
nisrake to assume that r-vpograph-v Instrucrion for graphrc
detigners rs not very me:rningful, or ro sa,v thtrt the terching ;:-::
ofelcmentarl r),pographv problenx rs supericial. in rhat an,v
-;
inteligenr studenr can mrsrer lhcm b,v himselt-To thts I would like to rePly thrt the

LOOKINC

CLOSER

more basic a problem n slared, rhe more dificuft it

becomes to solve. Complcx problems allow mistakes and
superficialities to be more casily hidden.
Because we have already pushed rhese elementary exercises somewh:rr roo far,let us solve anorher functional problem as an end to rhis firsr chaprer.You have ro
design a business lerterhead conforming co the DIN sysrem, rhe German industrial Norm syscem, which n aho
valid in Switzerland.
As .Jready stated, I rm convinced rhat such elemenrary rypographic exercises are a prerequisite for the
solution of complex rypographic design problems. OnIy
here can the eyes, mind and feelings be equally and gradualy trained, and only here can one tearn ro deal con6dently w:th formar. 'pace, proportron and \ompo\rnon
Beyond rhat. these basic exercises prcvide insighr and
knowledge into general typographic problems, and are
indispensable in the erecurion ofconcrete prrcrical prcblems. Only when the studenr
has understood that making
typography means the visu
a1 organization of a given
spa.e with regard ro a spe.i6c tunctional intention,
will he be in a posirion in
rhe tuture to make indcpendenr wpogrrphical deci:!:

sions, regardles of wherher

the emphasis iies on deating

with complex praftical pmblems or on experimental

work. Obvioudv, I see rhat a brc idealisrically
The mosr important result of these basic exercises is rhar the studenr develops a relrtively open relationship ro everything that has ro do with rypognph,: He is
in a posirion ro explode rhe old venerable concepc of
rypograph,v-.rt lerst in rhe syntactical sense. In opposi_
tion ro flxed tradirions, he rs less rigid in dealing u.rth the
materials and technical opporrunities of che workhop.
'
He has learned chat a composed word need noc look like
,
composed word. For example (far lett), rhe conven_
rional
word piclure for Swissaia and with ic the word
,.
r'
Swrssair ser wirh an increasing progression from bottom
rowards rop. which becomes : semancically changed
word-picrure. In this case Swissair is an aidine company which. through the pmgression ofrhe lerers. has a part ofits most typical acciviry visuatized-that offl,ving;rhe
form rres into the air.The srudent has now realized rhar the marerial is nor. as in ctassical rypography, stiffand only applicable in : very lnnited war
This picture shows the tecbnically limited pos
sibiliiies of hand-setting-the hodzonral and verrical.
The studenr shouid have rhe courage ro viola.e rhe
re.pe. red irw' of leal q p.grrphv when rr rs nere.url

tor the efre.tivene\s ofthc q,pographic cornposrtion. Hc

then knorvs rhar rn lctterpres almost everythurg can be
printed. and in oftiet. .r/eryr,i4g

,/

THE SY\TACTI(' DIME\SION IN TYPO(;RAPHY

As you can see. rhe arrangemenr oFexamples into chap

rers is nor mernr so preciselv Nattrall,v

in rhc basic

exerclscs rve bcgan rvorking rvlth

the connecoon of qpographic

elements to onc anorher. Ne-rr, I

began

to

distribure diffcrent
problems to rhc srudents-morc
complex problems rhat dcmand
greater eifor. nalurath., with
consrderanon ro leveis oa ralenr
and inrerest. Our fr6h probiem is
rcally an erpansion ofthe prcvious
ones. The text rs more compte\
and you har.e fint onc. then nro.
and finall,v manv rype sizes rr ,vour
disposal. to dcr.elop a senes

ofven

diferenr results.
In these Swissair adver
*ements ibr a daily newspaper
(righr), rou have rhe possrbilii ro
compicrely exhausr rhe inrcrprerarive possibiliries
-a: conrained rn
grgslsr
thc
text
and
flight-plan.
Therc
are fewer resrrictions tn rcl.r_
abonne
oon to rvpe marerial :nd dcsign freedom.
ment
E:S --_--::
Thcsc lurther er.rmptes (lefr) deuronsrrare a strong

i5i;ii

ll

EE;!:iE;
E.i=19;;
nost

6t

stheck
...loqto

H",:#il:1s"!""

contrasr and clear

:i$T,rL:iti:i

eA

L
-l

Ns rY

rension in rhe 6.po-

graphic design

rrl

rerial uscd. Thcv

show advercisemenrs

lor thc Swiss

,////

Post,

Telegr3m and Tele

graph

Service

flrl),

which rre p ub-

lished on rhe back

covers

.;

of

relephone

book.Thev conrarn
inlbrmation abouc
the diflcrent services olfe re d by
PTT.

LOOKINC

CLoSFR

Here is a posrer for the Tr:ns-European Express

(TEE).We have set oursclves the go.rl of connecting differ
enr semantic in.erpretations wirh on. another.The method
for rhis should be thc rppli.ation of different syntaccic
design material: middlc-axrs composirion (upper left and at
thc bottom)t block composition, with extreme word and
linc spacing (upper righQ; block composition. spaced in
dc.reasing progressions (1ower left). block composition
without additional manipulation (lorver right).

-.& -

FEBIUI IY

,rmill

-3:

4
AIQI S VI l'T, F S. LE
F G H lts, \11, wT r s.f,
S,\T.TLf,I{OPtr:T,F.S

qtrs.\4xvr.FsgTu
Y WX 5. y.T. V.T. a Y 5 Z

I 912lSct
9I2 z
AECSEPTFV}F R

IIN!l.E'

9ara!aa
,

,l6nOAAio

-s.

-l+-

I
I

t>!

0rrr

The work rhat I have shown you is verv diverse becruse rhc studcnts thcnrditGrent fiom one anothcr.They differ in their basic educrrions. in.er
csts,rnd rbiti.ics. as wcll as rhcLr natrrnalities. Oftcn there are as manv as si\ diEcrent
nariomlities on one couIsc. On avenge,l figure on onc-tburrh.onvinced opposition,
one-fourrh convinced supporr, one-fourlh nor convinced support, and one tourth
misdirecred prolcssionals. As you can imagine, rhis is I fundrmenrrl handicrp for anv
lcson or teachine mcrhod.There rre some students often thc majoriry-who .rre
very dependenr on .hcir rcspeclrle reachers rnd constandy w:nt to be led. Only a ttw
are in a position to scarch. tind, and decide independcntll:
This 6equcnrlv rnrense srudenr-reacher relarionship is naruralty the c.ruse of
a certaln unifornirv in rhe rcsula from the class.To thr oftcn-rlade reproach:grinst
borh rhe school and rnvseli. I rvould say tro things: Firsrly. whrt reaching merhod
docs not le.rd to a certain uniformity? Regardles of whcre I look I see only eradurt
diEerenccs. Secondty, these more or lcss cvident rraces ofunifornirv in rhe rlork are
not of primary importance, bur insread. what is important is the foundation upon
which thcv .rre built. I admit thar our school docs in ,t cert:rin sense produce Lrniftrrn
results-in r visual sense. But ar the samc ome I rhrnk rhrr rhe exercises enrblc the
studcnrs to trunsfer their undcrlving knonledge and abiliry to a polition $,hcrcbx
during practical work, erch can reach complctclv drlferenr krnds ofresulrs. Obviously.
this is nor so ersil,v generatize.t-lt is inrporrant to rake inlo considerarion rhe e\.cr1t
to which rhe personalio. rntelligence. rnd rbl1i6, ofthe srudcnt has been dcveloped.
As I've alrcad_v mcnooned. I place gre;rt importance on thcse exrnples and
the workrng process thar leads to rhcm.Thev rre loosening up e\ercises for the design
student. similar to elenenrarv exercnes in rvhrch the emphasis is placcd nor so much
on familjarity wlth the marerials rnd rechm.al aspects. as on exp:inding the rypo
graphical design vocabula .The nudent dis.overs a vrsurl l:tnguage-the vrsu3l hn
guage. 1 nern that when the lesson functions corrccll), everv student should Iearn
how to asert himself. When .he teacher is colofxl and srimularing enouqh in whar
he does. rhe studenr rvill .eceive enough stimulLrs for the dcvclopmcnr ofhis i,ld,vidual abihrres .lnd ideas.
Finall\l I do not givc rhc srudcnt rny tecipes to take lvirh him, bur insread
onl,v models tbr the solutlon ofspeci6. problems.Wirh,n rhc diilerenr kinds orprobiems set. the sludenr has enough opportuniw to practice coning ro rern1s \rirh borh
thc problenrs rnd hnnrelt. Bu. as I srid,I see rhe problen ven cl.rrlv and I am conscious that it cannor be i:uUy expl3lned wi.h r few quick sentences. The so called
schooi crxrs ralked rbout lodr_v rs not rs noriceable in Basle a\ in other similar instF
tutions. From whar i have seen. rhe crisis is visible in o.her.ountries, especi:rlv in
Europe. Toda!, itw schools can or wanr ro luncrion as in earlier tinres. Obvroush, the
reason is thr. both classical understanding ofone: selaand the soci.J role ofrhe schooL
as rn adaplrble institution hrvc broken dorvn. But I believe-rnd nsk saving rr rhar
there is rnorher rerson: not onlv hrs this self understanding' brokcn down. bur ,rlso. so
has drscrphne.'Therc rs no reliable.e:tching concept irnv ntore. no prograrn on rvhlch
an educroon can bc btrsed not even a rehrble direction lvhlch one .ould ib o\r
Evcr,vone does what hc \ranrs.What is mrssinE! rre good reschers rnd lecrurers.I do not know ofone school oda,v in Germanr tbr e\.tmple. lvhich connnues the
methodi.al pioneer $ork begun by thc Bauhrus. Ir was rrrenlprcd b,v Lrr,, but wth
di$erent prcrequisitcs.rnd in anorher envirrnne nt-and ,vou know how thar endedWirh rhe e\trmplc oF t-'lfl ),ou ,ian see what I metrn. in rhtrr L7r, was ruincd b,v, among
other rhrnej. the loss olits threc dorrinrnr personalities: Mr\ BiI.Tonis M,ldonJdo. and
seives rre very-

,-l

Bonsiepe. Certainl,v, todry\ studenB *?nt nothing ro do with such strong domineering
personalines. Bur I am opposcd ro this. If we want to recons(ucri ro nor only look for
but also re;rlize new direcoons. u'e need snong, flex1b1e, and acnve personalides.

THE SEMA\TIC DIMENSION IN TYPoGI'APHY

The basic exercises in my classes are syntactic exercises. But in working wich rhe syn
thetic dimension che semanlic cannor be excluded. By thar I mean activating thar parr
of typognphy dealing wirh the meaning ofthe design elements.
As I mentioned * thc beginning, whar is decisivc for me in my instrucrion is
rhe typogrdp/ri. aspect of typographl This is not.just a question ofsyntax. but instead,
a quesrion ofsemancic evalua.ion ofEhe syntadical elements.
Nacurally, our erercises on chis deme are very Jimited in chac we are not a
scientiic insti.ution, which could, with large technical expenditure, conducr tests
related ro the semantic qualirv and etrectiveness of wpographic signs- In rhar respect
our exercises remain relativelv subjective. But wirh experience and a healthy human
undersranding at our disposal. we expedment with the character ofletterforms, their
sizes and associations, as remancic factors. One could say that we are expanding rhe
vnual vocabulary of design alternacives. But, in cerrain respects, we go much turrher
rhan anv scientiic testing can, in rhat empiical science wirh ir! social scientific testing merhods can in general dcal onJy with the expectations and known experiences of
those .ested. Only in rare cases can something new be
deduced fiom such information.
As an example, some years ago I received a hinr
from the disciplined and intelligendy solved logorype for
Atabian Airlines
Arabian Airlines. I Eried co derermine if the Arabic associ
ation tunccion onl,\7 bec.tuse the i dot was turned on irs

Or n it perhaps just as good wirh simple rcund

dots, which are nor normally used wirh rhis cypeface.
Helveti.,?
I am sure you find, as I do, that the effect of the
turned square cannot be surpassed.As proof of rhe qualiry
of rhx vsu.ri idea-which is definirely an idea, and nor a
producr olso-called syntaccic research-l placed it in conEontauon with a Iine otArabic scripr.
One realizes where the connection of this mosr
ingenious microaesthctic invasion into our wesrern lettering structuie lies-in the dots-whi.h in Arabic scripr, are
deternxned by the wriung implement.
Here are some othcr examples that I lbund in
kne1. Thq, supporr my theory rhat certain graphic
modifLcations in typograph),, or lettering, can inrensitv the

:il:t,j.i:."]:il :iff

:i':illr il::i::::;:H:H:,

fuabian Airlines

Arabian Airlines
Arabian Aidines
Arablan Airlines

jt*r ., jr,-

typographv reduces rhe rssociacive sem.]ntic dimcnsion of

wpogr"ph, .r, " mcrn, of.omJnunrt'lrion Ihc frmou.

Lo!q-Loia trJdenrark look\ rittteren! rn Hebrew -hLr.hll
awakens an immedirte associarion-because we idenri6,

AraDlan Arnrnes

cerram essential chafuctcrisric\ otrhrs wett-kno$,n superngn.Wc;re rl1 ablc to recog_

nize \u.h rssocirrions, errhcr conscrcuslu or. as in rhe casc oa the icss visurllv *vr;.
.ub, .,n.. rourlv
Ir rs complete)v dif.iirrcnr wirh rhe inrcrnarionaUv knorvn conccpt .policc,

Althoush rhls lerrcring appcars on a jeep, we would not bc ;blc to dccotic the
Hebrcrv (ord for pohce ifthc English word was deteted. To us, t could
lust rs rvell
bc a milurrv jeep. The rypographic sisns in rhc English vcrsion arc rhcD \\lrhour

@ffi
,ra,ru
Il

TEJ

n'lPf

PolrcE

S;Irtsl[n

IttN )n
TEt
AVtV
i., i.r

gir'l^'1'
,i.,r1

\i

L1!..riil.I,,,.

i;]T,i;i?, rE;^isti

'rP

A 5imiiar suurrion occlrrs $nh rhe geographical concepr.Tet Aviv', whi.h

when spoken evokes .r largc number of asyrciations, none of rvhich can bc found
when looking ar rhis srreet sign In order ro orienratc ourselve\ in Israel. we need Ietterfbrnrs rhar rre famiLar to Lrs.
-{hhough rhe\. are s!111 in rhe carl' srrges, here arc
some eramples of whar has resulted lroni our exercises

I $iI

e\piain rhe con.ep.s and rdjectivcs thet scrwed as

semantic soals lor e.rch ofthe respecrive probiem Shown
here are nr.o semanric interpreralions ofrhe threc lerrers,
TEE, for lrans European Exprels. Comfort.tble neeping:
rhe round form reprcsenr 'clouds.' whrch are soti and
should lead to the associarion w.ith 'solt bcd.'Thc quaftei
moon \uFpor6 rhrs idea of'bed' and a nighr! sleep'
rhrough .r\\ocia.ions sirh 'dreamrng' rnd 'romanclc ni-ehrs'
Fasr to rhe destinarion:lhe extrcmc perspectlve ofthe capital letters and rhc rrovemenr'torvrrds a poini or los.ards
a go.r1.'should help usu.rlize the racinq rempo ofthis lonsdxtance, high specd uain.
Obviouslr', rhese cxamples do nor have much to do wuh typographic de,gn.,
but rhcy do otler a ve4, good vielv ofrhe overlap berween graphic design and rrpography, especially with reterence ro problems thar emphasize rhe scmrnrrc. To rhrr
extenr the_v tun.rion !s preliminar,v desi-qn exercises, or as burlding blocks in the
design proces ofa poster or Logonpe.

ll

<<o

RIJF= 8r;i
II
'l

eJ.".''o'
O,iv e ll
ive . ti

ole ti

01 ve' d
1iv . tt
i
O

vtI t

l',e.

T^4. T

anderil

i'o'r#:l+:l'
HHWEIIE$

[f,WEIIEI
UMWEPTEII
UMWERTET{

:.1

:t

This examplc illusrrates the rype ofdevelopment in

our design proccss.You can see the sreps rvrth which we
came ro rhe desircd result of a semancic interpreution of
thc concept 'Biblc.'
Firsdy, wc sct rhe word'Bible' as ir is commonly
known.Thrr is, readable, and with the normal letters ofour

BIBLE

lu.J"[Ll-m]

alphaber.
Secondlyl wc considercd how we could best incerprer
t1rrs concept visuallyWc selected one possible inrerpreraron;
the 'classical' o rigins ofrhe Bible.Then we considered wrrh

BIELE

which letters of the alphabet it is possibtc ro visuilly de6ne this specinc semanric
Finallr,, we placcd

the selected b.rsic lerters

togerher ro form the new
supersgn 'Bible.' This
new rsord picture awakens semantic associarions

wirh 'old greek lenering'

or 'classical' Bible.

We ,crempt
J
'|

ATH ENS

ATHE NS
ATH E NS

ATH{NS

ATH=NS

ro

scimulare and secure our

ideas through marcri:l

srudies during the desien

ATI-|=NS

process-chat is, to convey the individual ide, in

ii=n-t-*4

a generally understand:rble

form- In rhe casc of the

word 'Arhens,' we invesri-

ATt{=N'

ATr{=Nt

galed the sEucture and then

the wrirten origins of rhe

Greek letterforms. In the

typographv workshop, we

attempt

ro properlv

Swtaa+

IR

re

present rhe characreristics

which \re discover, wirh
rhe letrers rnd line marerial at our dispos.rl.

:'.
:::l :.::.-

ATr-t=N

r:

THI F()RNIATION OF SICNS TS 1 SYNTICTIC PIlo(]ESS

The sreps we have takcn in synracic change. \.hich until now have been concerned
mosdy with compler typographic problems, are atso posiblc lvirh 5ingle letrers.The
limirs ofrhe possibilities, excepr for a Gw ex:mples, rrc decermined bv the extent of
the marerial m the Npogrrphv workshop, .}nd thc .rcarive abitiw oi:rhe individual

To what degree can we change the natlrre ofrhc

letrer r? Ar whjch poinr can we srill identi& rt as an
d?
In other lvords, whar rs the most
rypical vilual characerrstlc necessary for ir ro be recognized?

C"n rhe,rmdn,rc vrtue ofrhe cJprrrt lerrer H be

ch"ngcd: I.l u hJr w"v due" rrs merning deveiop rhrough
drrercnflduon in uerghr and proporrrorrng ofthr
rypo_
graphic line marerial?

:'ci[
0

lt,
tl*

lir

Tr

h'

In rhis exercise. rhe

proces of exploring tree ideas
is given greater emphasis th;rn
the conscious u.ilization :nd
application of rhese dir.overed
rypo-sigrs as trademarks or
logorypes. Despire rhe tack oi
a given speciic probtem, thc
student can clearlv see rhe
connection of npography to
graphic design.

PURE DESICN TYPOCR.{PHY AS .PAIN l ING

In case you somerimes h:rve rhe impression rhat we work

in a bit oa a vacuum, I would tike to shorv vou rvhat
working in a vacuum realv means. In aI oi our work w.e
are conscious thar we have an
elnpty space. a vacuum, which
we musr fiIl with wpographic

For both mvself and

my sudenrs, I rvould say that
rhe aascinarion of typographv
lies in rrs abiiil to r nsform r silenr, unprinted piece of
papcr. wrrh rhe rrJ ofr urd .rgn,. rnro, d1n"mr. torm or

-a-

..

.:.

HOW 1)oES IJASLE D]FFER FRoM

()THElr SCH()

. 2\-

L5:

have alrerdy spokeD to you many

times abour 'Swrss Typography' in

relation to our work in Basle. But
rhere are many dillerent schools in
Swirzerland, e.rch with verv different concepts of wpography.
How do my ideas differ
from rhe orhers? In replii I would like ro show vou some more rypical examples of
'Swiss npognphy:' 6ve designs 6om Emil Ruder rnd
his students (opposrce prge). The rnain crirerion lor the
lorm ofrypographic dcsign rs'readab iry'Ir is the dom
inanr facor in the selecion and optical orgrnization of
th< npographrc sign..Th( me)\Jge to be communrc:r.
ed is nor intensified through the use of additional syntactic or semantic material.
To question rhe mocive behind such an a$irude
cowards rypography, is to question the ardtude rowards
conrmunication in gencral. For a long rime rhere has
been a rendency in 'Swiss
Typography'to deliver a message in a'vrlue &ee'manner.'Value fiee'means to prcsent a messge simply. rnd
nor ro eqlrip rL wrth addrrronal vrrual characteflsrlc. ro
heighten its semantic and persuasive ell'ecriveness_ Here
the erhics ofthe designer are very much involved.
Wrrhour brrneing erhrc inro que\oon. we (rn
say thar this 'value-ftee' arrirude rowards } 'messrge' h
onlt one ofmany However, even rhe mosr objecrive infbrmation, lvith the mosr sober visual presenration, sdll connects rhe
receiver with personal values.
This idea. containcd in 'Swrss Typography' and striven
for in Swrrzerland .tnd other counrries-of pure fundional
organtzation, lvirh its grid, unifred rypetrce, rype size, and
semrntic resrrainr-is a vain rvish. It can onty be one part of
.he complex fun.cion rhar discinguishes rvpography as a meurs
of conrmunicarion.
The humrn being has more rhan jusr rechnical and
economic needs. Hc has very dili-erentiated psvchologicat needs, especialty in rhose
arcas that have to do with

f-

culture and
That

rs,

aesrherics.

those areas lvhich

rve call 'design.'This is

sociil psy.hologicrl placrtude from which adver

risrng, with inreiligenr
idcas. lively texrs and
visualizarions, has :tready

profred grearly. (This *as very amusingly formularcd as

well x ideallv pracriccd bv rhe grand a.tverrising
philosopher, Howard Luck Cossagc.)
Of course rhese arc only sorne examples from
an abundance ofother designs wrth which I could havc
illuscrared rhe concepr of.Sw.rss Typogrrphy., In con
rrr.r. ,he ( J(.isn' lion thc Ba.te
"d!erri.,ng "genc)
GCK ftonom), show how sonrerhine can took when
one rreJ to make inrercsring $pograph), from cotd and
objecri\e !ubJe.t mrrrer.
Thcse lasr nvo exrmples show clearly lhar .Swiss
Typogrrphy.' ar leasr in Swir

in a srare of radical
change. Or drllercntlv sratcd
toda), in Swi.zerland ar least. no
one knorvs anvmorc whar rhe
specirlisrs acually mean when
the), bestow rhe honorable
predicare'Swiss Typographr'
Rerurning ro the acru.]t {tuesrionr How does mv concepr of typognphv
and
rypogrrph,v instrucrion differ fiom orher such concep$ in Swn;
scho;i?
Bastcallv. these conceprs do nor ditre. cood or bad, rve are a1I
buitding on rhc
.
dxsical'Swiss Typogrrphy.'We complercly r.ccpt rh. aundameniaf p.i".ipr.i
.r r1.,.
purin and piecisioD of typographjcal mnterial, irs togical and disci;hrej srrucrure.
and the meaning ofrhe whrte spacc in a dcsign.W. ,..
,r." rtr.r ttr.,. .*t,.r, .litL
"tt
zerland. rs

Perh:p. rhc rcJ,on tor rri. rs tnar Srvir:eriand orIer. even prr.on workine
rearireh ven rpec, ,l .onJ,Lron,. whr(h fo- rhe.e peopte mean. ."n,.ir,i..
Lt. , u",i
6ed'ferole base.'In borh its domestic and toreign policy, Switzerland i, ,;
.:<,."",:r"
srable .ounrry. In a posirive s.nse, perce rnd order prevail an,t,
respect fb. people
,

who think diiilrenrtv h still

guaranteed. For rhe nidivid
ual. thar means rhe ftecdon
ro work uninterrupredtv on
his or her own projects.
Atter havine recognized rhe similaruies ro o.h.r
schoots, I wouid no\1- tike ro
discuss the differences. \1ou

j:::t:Lj:,'.;;iT:fi:l

work w.hich .ve shown vo,r fiom m, students .r,.

",r,.r;you hrve proSaL,t, rho,gl,r
stze the svntrctic
in npoer:phv Occ.rsionalh,.,
_posibiJiries
rhat rhrs r\ hrrnlful ro the rcadabiliw ofr text. But I think rhrt.t" ..t"t-a, Ligt
stimulur of such a texr rs rdequate conipensation for lolv readabLlin. Whar good ts
rerdabilln when norhing in rhe.cxr rrtncrs one to even reld ir? Narurrllv rhrs rru_
arrempt to resr expcrrmentalJv rhe scmanri. and syrltacric possibili.ies ofqpogrrphy,
and to brerk through irs ideological bo.ders bv consciousiy ignoring ttre riaj,t;onat

limits and recipes for typogrrphic design.Also. we try to remain blind to rhe gaEls and
rrends of the internatlonal adverrising rnd design sccne. With my deinition of
school, I h.rve arremprcd to cxplain whv \\ ,rre so logical and sometimcs a bit too
self:cons.ious in our work.
k would be unfair to present our school and irs typograph_r, teaching methods onl_v in a positivc light. We also have ideas abour how we can becre! reach our
reaching goals rhrough unproved didactic means.
One of the problems n our almost exciusive occupation wirh synractic and
semantic design problcms in rypograph,v But this is only an outward expresion of
somerhing complerely diferent.That is, the rerl problem olthe meaning of a text.ln
my opinion one cannor nukc raUy good wpogriphy withour exac knowledge and
precise understanding ofa tcxc.The srudy ofthe meaning ofrexts. through special and
rheorerical lectures, seminan, and exercnes, rs completely mising in our programs.
Our acrion-radius of'typographic design'rs quite small within a cheorctical model for
a communicacions Process.
As you can see from my self-criricrt remarks, we are aware ofthe deficiencies
at our school.The atrempt to remedy rhis siruation has been Iiusrrared by many prob

Iems. Firsrly. by rhe organization rnd institutionsl structure of our school. Secondly,
by rhe vry Limited time:t our disposal to cover the various arcas ofour ivpography
program. And tinalh: the entire problem rs embedded in the general social proces of
changing consciousness and the new order ofsocial rnd cultural values.Thus. we are
again confronted u'ith the questions of the dcinition and goals of'school,' and wilh
the value and nature ofwpography.

07.20
- q8.25
..-G_ I O.50

EE----_I\ (i():.ICLUSION: WHAT SHOULD tHE

COR I\ E CT TYPOCRA PHY EDUCATION CONTAIN?

What should an ideal design school be like? And w-ith reference to my own fleld of
acdvin. what should a 'correci rvpographv educrrion consist ot? Perhaps I can ourline a deinition ot rhe gorls that the typography course must fulfill. Basicaun I see

1.The valLre of rypographt witlxn the mosr diversified cornmunicarion

proceses, and its efticienc,v
of communicarion. must be
redefined. Such r redelinition would be rn attempt to expand thc meaning
and r:nge of the concepr 'typography.'
2. In rhe fuiurc, ncw information technology and chrnging forms of com
mumcarion will obviously require additional new wpogrrphic standards in
relation to thc syn.actic and semantic. The substance of rypographv must
change. along wrth the informarion it has to convey, and rhe generrl cultu l scene in which ir mus! fun.don.

:,;:

ll'
3. Fin.rlly. although n mav be a sublecrivc and pe.haps provocaove
srrlenrent ro
make, I leel stlon6y'y rhar rhis neu,wpoerrphv musr.Js<+ancj

also-bc rhe rcsult of :r vcry personat rhoughr

mean rhose eforts based upon mdividualiw.

emDhrsiz.

in

ae,rgn. A,: ttr"ii

rginrnon and :rnsric quatioes.
pmccss

In thc second hatfofthis centur1., as in the 6nr. we need pcrsonalitlcs who

can
influence rhe developmenr oftypography through rhcrr personai concributions.
From
the simplified goals I have out

lined above, one crn begin ro

see possibiliries for change in
the educaoonal sysrem. Certainly

in rhe furure. a srxdv of rypographv must include a study of

lhe mcaning oftexr.'
If we want ro build
upon ihe rheme of'rc]ir,' and
cxpand in.hc direcrion ot.oncepnral rvork and .ommunications pbnned. we will need
input liom ncw fields such'
as: sociolog_v, .ommunications
theory sernanocs, senioocs, .omputers. rnd ptanning methods.
Furthermore-as experiencc

'1 ffi
lrF

hrs shoun ln the more adunced

schools-*e need flexible te.hnicians w.ho .rre crD,hl.

oI combining specialized knowtcdge ,,"}: ,"

"ia..
sranding ol design problems.
Bur 6rst and foremost, we need schooh in which

==

such chalienges.an be insrisared rnd rerlized. I knoiv

th:rr rhese .hallenges arc not new. but I ptace thenl here
rr rhe cnd ofmv sraremenr be.ause rhev are deuved rlom
personal expedences wirhin my r_./pogrrpht course.

n lr.r

Mv
own work and rhat oa my

srudcnrs, as r rypographic
development pro.ess! c.rn only logic.r1lv pmgrcs, when,

wirh rhe aid ofour acquired experiences and krowledee.

w'e c.m refbrm both the educaoonal svsrem rnd its teach
ing methods. Conceprs of tlpographv. such rs rhose we
rre trying ro dcvelop in Basle, conrain more rhan simplv
$o {./ o
the expanslon ofthe svntacric and rem;rnoc vocabularjes.
We do nor Eanr to producc: krnd ol,design cream,ro
be skimmed offb,v the rgencies and srudios.
We :r$empr ro educare human bein5 who ctrn. rvirh imaginaEon and inteli
gence, make responsrble wpogr.rphic contriburions ro the formarion of thc envimn-

Oool

menr, especirlly rhc iirrure enviroimcnr, r,hose problems are .rlready becoming evidenr.

p lxhed in 1972 in a phototopietl ednian of tL,o h

copie, d d ttistributet! dutiq
t 1p't,t. t)t,t \.1csg, ,.hral, rqd ,nt,et. ": tltnqt.ht"drc.t
tt t n "J.\)tr
Rep,nrerl i)
Octlvo na. 1 (La do : 198 r').
Ftrsr

.,