A Training System for the Graphic Designer: Josef Müller-Brockmann

Gianfranco Verna - Model in plexiglass and metal. Neue Grafik / New Graphic Design / Graphisme actuel, Nr. 7, 1960.

Gianfranco Verna - Model in plexiglass and metal. Neue Grafik / New Graphic Design / Graphisme actuel, Nr. 7, 1960.

The problems with which the graphic designer of today is faced demand an exhaustive knowledge of painting, keen interest in the problems of production and understanding of the questions of market research and advertising. The designer must shoulder part of the responsibility for the success of the method of advertising and the form it is given. He should devote much preliminary thought to his work which should be clearly designed, the sole purpose of the medium being to clarify the idea, the direct statement of which should determine the character of the imagery.

All graphic work based on these principles presupposes some understanding of the legitimate elements of design, typography, photography and drawing. The method of training which I have established in the graphic design faculty of the Zurich School of Industrial Design has been built up in accordance with these views. The course takes four years and the curriculum includes lettering, typography, photography, graphic work, figurative drawing, methods of reproduction and exhibition design. During the course certain problems pertaining to the sphere of industrial design are tackled.

The first year is devoted to the study of basic questions of form, the rules of typography and the rudiments of photography. The knowledge acquired is then put into practice by means of a simple exercise, the solution to which is to be found In the nature of the problem itself. A number of actual commissions which have been assigned to the school by various industrial and cultural organizations are carried out during the second and third years. It ls, however, a matter of principle that no piece of work should be attempted which as regards scope and subject does not conform to the aims of the training course. Such tasks enable the student to judge whether his work is in accordance with current practice. At the same time through direct contact with the employer he becomes acquainted with those problems of production and marketing upon which his plans must be based; and his knowledge of the technical processes is fostered by his association with the blockmakers and printers who carry out his design. During the fourth year all the experience the student has gained both practically and as an artist is summed up in two pieces of work each occupying one term. Each student is given the task of designing all the printed matter required by a specific firm for both internal and external use, all the advertising matter, the trade insignia on the facade of the building and on the delivery van, the neon sign and a small exhibition. In the second half of the fourth year he has to do a similar piece of work, though for a different firm. This gives him an opportunity to correct any mistakes and omissions he may have made in the first exercise and to profit by his experiences.

The student has no choice in the kind of matter, prospectuses, etc., which he has to design for the firm assigned to him. He must get in touch with the manager or head of the advertising department; and in order to be well informed as to the character of the firm the student is advised to study the style of the building both inside and outside and to make himself familiar with details such as the furniture, hangings, colour schemes, etc., as well as with the form and design of the products.

In this way the students learn to emancipate themselves from ideas which are too aesthetic and too remote from life and to arrive at a proper evaluation of their future profession. The reproduced examples are typical products of the four years training. The grouping is not strictly chronological but has been arranged more or less according to subject.

The first important exercise for the student who has just become attached to the graphic design faculty consists of a very interesting problem demanding his whole attention. He is required to grasp and define the laws of proportion both theoretically and concretely and to apply them. This exercise, which is illustrated by drawings and photographs of completed models involves the following important individual problems:

1. Eight circles of varying size are to be drawn in proportion to one another. These proportions must correspond to a logical principle and must also make a visually aesthetic impact.

2. Each of the eight circles must be placed within a square field. The eight squares must be so arranged on the sheet of drawing paper that they themselves, the intervals between them and the margins shall all be governed by a definite unit of proportion.

3. A composition is to be built up from the eight circles and this composition is to spring from a logical or formal basis and must be aesthetically satisfying. The intervals between the circular shapes must follow a definite law of proportion.

4. The composition with the eight circles is to be regarded as the ground plan of eight three dimensional bodies. The shape and size of these bodies are to be defined. Each dimension again must conform to a logical system of proportion.

5. The student is to carry out the three dimensional composition unaided in a material of his own choice (wood, metal, synthetic material, etc.) in so far as this is possible. In order to carry out the plastic work the student must be extremely careful and precise in handling the material and thus stimulate his feeling for its nature and for the use of his tools.

In order to emphasise the factors and conditions which are considered to be of value in doing these exercises some of the models have been specially singled out for their proportions and formal relationships. One example shows how eight different large metal discs have been arranged on a square ground. The four larger forms are organised in the same way as the four small ones, the diameter of the largest disc corresponds to the height of the tallest support, the diameter of the next largest equals the height of the second tallest support.

In a second model the proportions of the discs are differently ordered from those of the model already described. Here all the circular components penetrate the upright members, the largest disc about 1/10 of the wall thickness, the second largest about 2/10 of the wall thickness, the third largest 3/10 etc. The circular forms are of the same thickness as the upright members. In this way depressions occur at the back of the wall which are the same dimensions as the projections on the front. The position of the upright in relation to the ground area was determined optically. The depressions at the back make a closer approach possible. The space required is relatively small, whereas the front with its projections demands to be looked at from a distance and consequently takes up more space. The object of these exercises is make the student familiar with the formal possibilities of a piece of work disciplined by both the intellect and feeling.

Exercises such as those are followed by problems relating to surface division, to the values of greys and blacks, to letter forms and composition. Simple typographical exercises are succeeded by problems in designing which include the use of photography and drawing. The work which follows immediately after the examples of plastic models shows the results of this method of training. It reveals a close connection with the requirements of practical graphic design. The captions explain the significance and purpose of the exercise.

There may be other methods for training the graphic designer but those described here have been proved. Some of the students who entered studios only a short time ago have already had occasion to show their mastery of practical problems. It seamed to us important to record the wide scope of a training system which beyond a certain point is not experimental. Most of the work is adjusted to the requirements of employers.

Published in Neue Grafik / New Graphic Design / Graphisme actuel Nr. 7, 1960.

01