History

History of Design The

of Design Bauhaus and the New Typography

It is obvious that the ma-

chine is here to stay. Whole
armies of William Morrises
and Tolstoys could not ex-
pel it. . . .Let us then exploit
them to create beauty
while we are about it.
Aldous Huxley, 1928

Herbert Bayer Cover Design 1919-23

History
History of Design The
of Design Bauhaus and the New Typography

In 1914 Walter Gropius took over the

directorship of the Weiman Arts and
Crafts School.

The Previous director was Henri van

de Velde, was an art nouveau archi-
tect.

The school remained closed all during

World War I. Upon the end of the war,
Gropius was officially made the direc-
tor of the school.

Johannes Auerbach, First Bauhaus seal, 1919

History
History of Design The
of Design Bauhaus and the New Typography

Gropius was premitted to rename the

school, Das Staatliches Bauhaus. (The
State Home for Building)

After the war, the age of the Kaiser

was over and their was a quest to
construct a new social order.

Lyonel Feininger, Cathedral, woodcut 1919

History
History of Design The
of Design Bauhaus and the New Typography

The Bauhaus Manifesto craftsman. In rare moments of in-

spiration, transcending his con-
scious will, the grace of heaven
may cause his work to blosom into
The complete building is the ulti- art. But proficiency in his craft is
mate aim of all the visual arts. essential to every artist. there in
Once the noblest function of the lies the prime source of creative
fine arts was to embellish build- imagination.
ings; they were indispensable com-
ponents of great architecture. To-
day the arts exist in isolation. . .
.Architects, painters, and sculptors
must learn anew the composite
character of the building as an en-
tity. . . .the artist is an exalted

Oscar Schlemmer, Late Bauhaus seal 1922

History
History of Design The
of Design Bauhaus and the New Typography

Gropius sought to bring together a

new generation of artist both applied
and fine “to breath new life into the
dead products of the machine.”

Gropius served as an apprentice to

Peter Behrens for three years starting
in 1907.

Van de Velde was also an inspiration

calling for the logical use of new tech-
nologies and materials of science:
reinforced concrete, steel, aluminum
and linoleum.
Joost Schmidt, Bauhaus exhibition poster, 1923
History
History of Design The
of Design Bauhaus and the New Typography

The Bauhaus at Weimar

The Bauhaus was located in Weimar

from 1919-1924.

The new Bauhaus sought to bring

together artists and craftsmen from
many different disciplines such as
woodworking, stained glass and
metal.

They sought to bring a new spiritual-

ity to design through the integration
of architecture, sculpture, painting
and crafts.
Herbert Bayer, c over design 1919-23
History
History of Design The
of Design Bauhaus and the New Typography
The Bauhaus at Weimar

Johannes Itten established the core

of the schools education program
with the preliminary course.

This preliminary course was the be-

ginning of what we call foundation in
many art programs today.

In 1919, Lyonel Feininger discovered

the deStijl and introduced it to the
Bauhaus.

In 1920 van Doesburg established

contact with the Bauhaus.
Joost Schmidt, Offset poster, 1926
History
History of Design The
of Design Bauhaus and the New Typography
The Bauhaus at Weimar

Gropius opposed van Doesburgs in-

fluence on the students. Van
Doesburg met with students off cam-
pus.

In 1923 the government forced the

Bauhaus to stage an exhibition. It was
internationally acclaimed and
showed the schools shifting focus
away from medievalism and expres-
sionism and towards applied-design.

Gropius rewrote the slogan to read,

“Art and Technology a New Unity.”
Bauhaus Exhibition, 1923
History
History of Design The
of Design Bauhaus and the New Typography

Laszlo Moholy-Nagy

In 1923 the Hungarian constructivist,

Laszlo Moholy-Nagy took over for
Itten as the head of the preliminary
course.

With him came new materials such

as acrylic, resin and plastic, as well as
added interest in photography and
film.

Moholy-Nagy and Gropius together

edited the calalog for the 1923 exhi- Laszlo Moholy-Nagy, title page 1923

bition.
History
History of Design The
of Design Bauhaus and the New Typography
Laszlo Moholy-Nagy

Laszlo Moholy-Nagy believed in the

clarity of typography with the empha-
sis on legibility.

He wanted to create a new language

of typography.

He also believed in the separation of

concept and execution in the produc-
tion of art. In 1922-23 he ordered
three paintings to be produced from
his sketches by a sign painting com-
pany.

Lazslo Moholy-Nagy titlepage for Broom, 1923

History
History of Design The
of Design Bauhaus and the New Typography
Laszlo Moholy-Nagy

Laszlo Moholy-Nagy’s interest in pho-

tography and typography led to the
invention of his typophoto where
type was manipulated by photo-
graphic process.

These experimental posters were a

precursor to the photoprocesses that
dominated graphic design during
most of the 20th century until the
advent of computer generated
graphic design.

Laszlo Moholy-Nagy tire poster, 1923

History
History of Design The
of Design Bauhaus and the New Typography
Laszlo Moholy-Nagy

Laszlo Moholy-Nagy felt that the com-

bination of photography and typogra-
phy could free the viewer of another
person’s interpretation.

This new “visual literature” promoted

the absolute clarity of communication
without preconceived aesthetic no-
tions. 

Laszlo Moholy-Nagy, Photogram 1922

History
History of Design The
of Design Bauhaus and the New Typography
Laszlo Moholy-Nagy

Laszlo Moholy-Nagy used the camera

as a tool for design.

He used unconventional composi-

tions.

He experimented with the point of

view. Laszlo Moholy-Nagy, Chairs at Margate 1935

Declared the victory over painting by

photography.
History
History of Design The
of Design Bauhaus and the New Typography
Laszlo Moholy-Nagy

Photoplastics were Laszlo Moholy-

Nagy’s photomontages that com-
bined images to create more than
mere imitative photography.

Laszlo Moholy-Nagy, The World Foundation, 1927

History
History of Design The
of Design Bauhaus and the New Typography

The Bauhaus at Dessau

Walter Gropius, Dessau Bauhaus Building, 1925-26

History
History of Design The
of Design Bauhaus and the New Typography
Bauhaus at Dessau

On December 26, 1924, the tension

with the government in Weimar was
at its peak. The Director and Masters
at the Bauhaus resigned signing a
letter making their resignations active
on April 1, 1925.

Gropius and the Mayor of Dessau

moved the school to the small provin-
cial town

The new building opened in the Fall of

1926.

Herbert Bayer, Bauhaus Magazine cover, 1928

History
History of Design The
of Design Bauhaus and the New Typography
Bauhaus at Dessau

At Dessau, the identity and philoso-

phy of the Bauhaus came to full frui-
tion.

The de Stijl and constructivist influ-

Herbert Bayer
ences became obvious. Logo for Kraus Glass
1923
The Bauhaus Corporation was
founded to sell the prototypes of the
Bauhaus workshops were sold to in-
dustry. Ideas from the Bauhaus influ-
enced products from industry that
were found in every day life.
Herbert Bayer, Trolly Station, 1924
History
History of Design The
of Design Bauhaus and the New Typography
Bauhaus at Dessau

In Dessau the medieval system of

master/journeyman/apprentice was
abandoned.

The masters became known as pro-

fessors.
Laszlo Moholy-Nagy, brochure cover, Bauhaus Books, 1929
The Bauhaus Magazine began publi-
cation along with a series of 14
books.

These influential publications were

written, edited and designed by
Kandinsky, Klee, Gropius, Mondrian,
Moholy-Nagy and van Doesburg.
History
History of Design The
of Design Bauhaus and the New Typography
Bauhaus at Dessau

Five former students were named to

professors.

Josef Albers taught systematic pre-

liminary courses investigating the
constructive quality of materials.

Marcel Breuer headed the furniture

workshop and invented tubular-steel
furniture.

Herbert Bayer became a professor in

the new typography and graphic de-
sign workshop.

Laszlo Moholy-Nagy, dust jackets, Bauhaus Books, 1924-

30
History
History of Design The
of Design Bauhaus and the New Typography
Bauhaus at Dessau

Herbert Bayer, banknote, 1923

Bayer ‘s workshop came up with inno- Bayer solicited private commissions

vative typographic designs that were from community business to help
functional and constructivist. finance the workshop’s activities.
History
History of Design The
of Design Bauhaus and the New Typography
Bauhaus at Dessau

Bayer designed a typeface consistent

with Gropius’s advocacy of forms
following function.

He did away with capital letters.

Experimented with flush left type that

was unjustified on the right.

Sizes and weights were used to es-

tablish informational hierarchies.

Bars, rules, points and squares were

used to subdivide space.

Herbert Bayer, universal typeface, 1925

History
History of Design The
of Design Bauhaus and the New Typography
Bauhaus at Dessau

The poster for Kandinsky’s sixtieth

birthday exhibition clearly displays
the use of hierarchal systems, the use
of squares, rules, points and bars.

The composition was finally tilted on

an angle to give the contents a dy-
namic yet unified effect.
Herbert Bayer, Kandinsky Poster, 1926
History
History of Design The
of Design Bauhaus and the New Typography

The final years of the Bauhaus

In 1928 Walter Gropius resigned to

join private practice.

In 1928 Bayer and Moholy-Nagy

both left for Berlin.

Joost Schmidt took Bayers place as

master of graphic design.

In 1930 Mies van der Rohe, a promi-

nent Berlin architect, became the
director.

Van der Rohe’s motto was “less is

more.”
Joost Schmidt, Bauhaus cover, 1929
History
History of Design The
of Design Bauhaus and the New Typography
Final Years of the Bauhaus

When Joost
Schmidt took over
for Bayer, there
was increased in-
terest in exhibition
design.

Schmidt instituted
systems of panels
and grids to bring
functionality,
versitility and unity
to exhibition de-
sign.

Joost Schmidt, exhibition design for canned goods, 1930

History
History of Design The
of Design Bauhaus and the New Typography
Final Years of the Bauhaus

In 1931 the Nazis canceled faculty

contracts at the Bauhaus.

Mies van der Rohe tried to run the

school from an empty telephone fac-
tory in Berlin-Steglitz.

The Nazi Gestapo demanded the re-

moval of “Cultural Bolsheviks” from
the school and replace them with
Nazi sympathizers.

On August 10, 1933 the faculty voted

to close the school.
History
History of Design The
of Design Bauhaus and the New Typography
Final Years of the Bauhaus

During the fourteen years of the Bau-

haus, there were 33 faculty members
and 1250 students.

The Bauhaus created a viable modern

movement including architecture,
product design, and visual communi-
cations.

The Bauhaus brought design forward

as a vehicle for social change. They
had profound effects on the future of
education in both the fine and applied
arts.
History
History of Design The
of Design Bauhaus and the New Typography

Jan Tischichold and the

New Typography

Much of the progress and innovation

in typography in the 20th century
came about as a result of the modern
art movements and the Bauhaus.

Jan Tischichold brought these prin-

ciples to everyday practice and use.

He evangelized these approaches to

printers, typesetters and designers.

At 21 in 1923, he attended the Bau-

haus Exhibition at Weimar and was
greatly impressed. Jan Tischichold, hand lettered ad
for Leipzig Fair, 1924
History
History of Design The
of Design Bauhaus and the New Typography
Jan Tschichold and the New Typography

Jan Tishcichold applied the experi-

ence he received at the 1923 exhibi-
tion to his own design.

He was influenced by both the Bau-

haus and the Russian constructivists.

Jan Tishcichold, display poster for publisher, 1924

History
History of Design The
of Design Bauhaus and the New Typography
Jan Tschichold and the New Typography

In October of 1925 Jan Tishcichold

produced a supplement to the
Tyoegraphische Mitteilungen called
elementare typographie.

His insert was highly influencial to the

print industry that up until this time
still held symmetrical medieval mod-
els as a standard.

Elementrare typographie demon-

strated asymmetrical layout.

Jan Tischichold, cover for “elementare typographie,”

1925
History
History of Design The
of Design Bauhaus and the New Typography
Jan Tschichold and the New Typography

Jan Tischichold, “elementare typographie” 1925

History
History of Design The
of Design Bauhaus and the New Typography
Jan Tschichold and the New Typography

Jan Tischichold, “elementare typographie” 1925

History
History of Design The
of Design Bauhaus and the New Typography
Jan Tschichold and the New Typography

Tischichold’s book Die Neue

Typographie advocated new ideas.
He sought to start a clean style based
on asymmetrical typography that was
more expressive.

Typography was to deliver the mes-

sage in the shortest and most effi-
cient manner.

He rejected decoration for rational

design planned for communication.

Jan Tischichold, brochure for Die Neue Typographie, 1928

History
History of Design The
of Design Bauhaus and the New Typography
Jan Tschichold and the New Typography

He argued that a dymanic force

should be present in each design.

He declared that type should be

elementary forms without embel-
lishment.

The san serif fonts were declared

the modern type.
Jan Tischichold, advertisement, 1932
Designs were constructed on an
underlying horizontal and vertical
structure.
History
History of Design The
of Design Bauhaus and the New Typography
Jan Tschichold and the New Typography

Space was given a new role as inter-

val and structural element.

Rules, bars, and boxes were often

used for emphasis.

The precision of photography was

preferred over illustration.

The new typography was to develop

form from the functions of the text.

In 1933 the Nazis arrested

Tischichold and his wife as cultural
Bolsheviks.
Jan Tischichold, cinema poster for Die Hose, 1927
History
History of Design The
of Design Bauhaus and the New Typography
Jan Tschichold and the New Typography

He was accused of producing un-

German typography.

He remained in custody for six weeks

before his release.Tischichold took his
wife and son to Basel, Switzerland.

In Switzerland Tischichold worked

primarily as a book designer.

Jan Tischichold, Konstructivism poster, 1937

History
History of Design The
of Design Bauhaus and the New Typography
Jan Tschichold and the New Typography

Tischichold began to turn away from

the new typography and returned to
classic fonts like roman, Egyptian and
script styles.

He felt that here was little room left

for innovation and development.

Jan Tischichold, brochure cover, 1947

History
History of Design The
of Design Bauhaus and the New Typography
Jan Tschichold and the New Typography

He felt that the new typography was

a product that may have been more in
line with the German attitudes that
led to the war.

Tischichold felt that graphic design

should work in a humanist tradition
that drew from the knowledge of the
master typographers of the past.

He felt that the new typography had

its place in publicizing art and archi-
tecture; however, not suitable for
some forms of publishing.
Jan Tischichold, paperback book cover, 1950
History
History of Design The
of Design Bauhaus and the New Typography

Typeface design in the First

Half of the Twentieth Century

Eric Gill, former student of Edward

Johnston, was inspired by Johnston’s
Railway Type.

He created his Gill Sans series issued

between 1928 and 1930.

Gill Sans did not seem mechanical

because it was based on roman pro-
portions.

Eric Gill, typeface Gill Sans, 1928-30

History
History of Design The
of Design Bauhaus and the New Typography
Typeface design in the First Half of the Twentieth Century

Gills knowledge was broad and in-

cluded the classic forms as well as
the new typography.

His first typeface for the Monotype

Corporation, Perpetua, was inspired
by the lettering on the Column of
Trajan.

His layout for The Four Gospels

shows his transcendent style that
combined Old Style and Transitional
qualities in a strikingly modern de-
sign.
Eric Gill, page from The Four Gospels, 1931
History
History of Design The
of Design Bauhaus and the New Typography
Typeface design in the First Half of the Twentieth Century

In his Essay on Typography, Gill ar-

gued that the problems created by
uneven line length was of less con-
cern than the uneven word spacing
forced with fully justified text.

Gill worked at Hague and Gill, Printers

using hand presses, hand-set type,
handmade paper with type he cre-
ated for the press.

This was a public press not a private

press, taking in orders from clients.

Eric Gill, Essay on Typography, 1931

History
History of Design The
of Design Bauhaus and the New Typography
Typeface design in the First Half of the Twentieth Century

Starting with Bayer’s universal

alphabet, there were many san
serif faces designed during the
20’s.

Paul Renner designed the

Futura Family for the Bauer
Foundry in Germany Paul Renner , Futura folder, 1927

Futura contained fifteen alphabets

including four italics and two unusual
display fonts.
History
History of Design The
of Design Bauhaus and the New Typography
Typeface design in the First Half of the Twentieth Century

Futura became the first widely used

sans serif font used.

Renner believed that each generation

should find its own ways to solve
graphic problems instead of looking
to the past.
History
History of Design The
of Design Bauhaus and the New Typography
Typeface design in the First Half of the Twentieth Century

Mystical medievalist, Rudolf Koch

deisgned a very popular typeface
named Kabel.

Rudolf Koch, Kabel light, 1932

History
History of Design The
of Design Bauhaus and the New Typography
Typeface design in the First Half of the Twentieth Century

Stanley Morison, typographer and

advisor to the British Monotype Cor-
poration supervised the design of the
Times of London.

The font, Times New Roman is to this

day one of the most widely used fonts
in the world.

Times New Roman is standard on

Stanley Morison, The London Times, 1932
almost all computer desktop systems.
History
History of Design The
of Design Bauhaus and the New Typography

The Isotype Movement

The Isotype movement sought to cre-

ate a world visual language without
words.

The Isotype concept involved the cre-

ation of pictograms to convey infor-
Otto Neurath, Births and Deaths in Vienna, c. 1928
mation.

Otto Neurath, the originator, was a books, he felt Isotypes could deliver
Vienna sociologist. clear communications.

Inspired by Egyptian hieroglyphs and His designs were completely func-

illustrations and diagrams from tional and void of decoration.
History
History of Design The
of Design Bauhaus and the New Typography
The Isotype Movement

The name Isotype (International Sys-

tem of Typographic Picture Educa-
tion) was originally called the Vienna
Method. The name changed when
Neurath moved to Holland in 1934.

Most of the groups pictographs were

designed by a woodcut artist, Gerd
Arntz.
By the time the group fled to England
in 1940, they had an inventory of
1,140 pictographs.
Gerd Arntz, pictographs for isotypes, early 1930s
In America, Rudolf Modley, a former
assistant to Neurath started the Picto-
rial Statistics, which eventually be-
came, The Pictographic Corporation, a
branch of the Isotype movement.
History
History of Design The
of Design Bauhaus and the New Typography

Prototype of the Modern Map

The London Underground Sys-

tem map produced by Henry C.
Beck set forth a diagrammatic
system for wayfinding.

The map used a grid of horizon-

tal, vertical and 45 degree angle
lines combined with a color cod-
ing system.
Henry C. Beck, map for the London Underground, 1933
The new map was found to be ex-
tremely functional. by the public.
History
History of Design The
of Design Bauhaus and the New Typography

Independent Voices
of the Netherlands

The influence of the modern move-

ment and the new typography
brought out personal and original in a
group of new designers in the
Nethlands.

Dutch designer Piet Zwart created a

synthesis of contradictory move-
ments, the Dada and the de Stijl.

Piet Zwart, ad for the Laga Company, 1923

History
History of Design The
of Design Bauhaus and the New Typography
Independent Voices of the Netherlands

Zwart was trained as an architect and

also designed furniture and interiors
prior to taking up his career in graphic
design.

He designed space as a “field of ten-

sion.”
Piet Zwart, folder design, 1924
History
History of Design The
of Design Bauhaus and the New Typography
Independent Voices of the Netherlands

Zwart’s designs for the

Nederlandsche Kabelfabriek (NKF)
were dynamic in the spatial relation-
ship of type and images.

Without any formal training in

graphic design, Zwart was uninhib-
ited by convention and traditional
methods.

Piet Zwart, ad for

NKF cableworks, 1928
History
History of Design The
of Design Bauhaus and the New Typography
Independent Voices of the Netherlands

Realizing the power of the media,

Zwart felt that the designer needed a
strong sense of social concern for the
reader.

He knew that twentieth century read-

ers were bombarded with material
and need direct communications.
Piet Zwart, pages from NKF cableworks catalog, 1928
He used bold type and diagonal lines
to attract attention.
History
History of Design The
of Design Bauhaus and the New Typography
Independent Voices of the Netherlands

Zwart, being an architect who be-

came a typographic designer, re-
ferred to himself as a Typotekt.

The typeface was analogous with the

materials of construction: glass, steel,
and concrete.

Piet Zwart, pages from NKF cableworks catalog, 1928

History
History of Design The
of Design Bauhaus and the New Typography
Independent Voices of the Netherlands

Information was arranged in a manner as to

make easy to isolate primary material from
secondary material.

Piet Zwart, pages from NKF cableworks catalog, 1928

History
History of Design The
of Design Bauhaus and the New Typography
Independent Voices of the Netherlands

Zwart’s personal logo presents a capi-

tal letter P along with a large black
square.

The name Zwart means black. The

logo might also relate to Malevich’s Piet Zwart, personal logo, 1928
Black Square c. 1913.
History
History of Design The
of Design Bauhaus and the New Typography
Independent Voices of the Netherlands

Dutch artist H. N. Werkman is famous

for his experimentation with type, ink
and ink rollers for artistic expression.

After World War I Werkman estab-

lished a small printing firm.

He used type, rules, printing ink, bray-

ers adn the small press to produce
one-of-a-kind prints called druksels.

His press also produced a publication

Next Call as a platform for his experi-
ments with type.
H. N. Werkman, cover of Next Call 4, 1924
History
History of Design The
of Design Bauhaus and the New Typography
Independent Voices of the Netherlands

He used the printing press as a layout

pad, composing directly on the letter-
press bed.

He used beautiful papers and his col-

lection of wood type to build designs
in the creative process of the
H. N. Werkman, page from the Next Call 4, 1924
dadaists.
History
History of Design The
of Design Bauhaus and the New Typography
Independent Voices of the Netherlands

Like Lissitzky, Werkman explored type

as concrete visual form as well as
alphabet communication.

Just prior to the liberation by the Axis

powers, Werkman was murdered by
the Nazis.
H. N. Werkman, page from the Next Call 4, 1924
Most of his work was destroyed dur-
ing the battle.
History
History of Design The
of Design Bauhaus and the New Typography
Independent Voices of the Netherlands

Paul Schuitema, an educated painter

during the first world war.

After the war he turned graphic de-

signer for the Berkel Company.

He incorporated objective photogra-

phy into his design.

He spent 30 years teaching at the

Royal Academy in the Hague.

Paul Schuitema, brochure cover, 1929

History
History of Design The
of Design Bauhaus and the New Typography
Independent Voices of the Netherlands

Willem Sandberg a director and de-

signer at Amsterdam museums
emerged as a highly original practitio-
ner of the new typography after
World War II.

While hiding out during the war he

created his experimenta
typographica, a series of experiments
in form and space.

Willem Sandberg,
experimenta typographica, 1956
History
History of Design The
of Design Bauhaus and the New Typography
Independent Voices of the Netherlands

Sandberg explored the free arrange-

ment of text on the page.

He used powerful contrasts in type to

accent emphasis.

He rejected symmetry and enjoyed

the use of bright primary colors.

Willem Sandberg,
experimenta typographica, 1956
History
History of Design The
of Design Bauhaus and the New Typography
Independent Voices of the Netherlands

A master of contrasts, Sandberg en-

joyed using different textured and
colored papers in the same produc-
tion.

He used scale color and edge treat-

ments as seen here on the right.

Willem Sandberg, museum journal, 1963

History
History of Design The
of Design Bauhaus and the New Typography

New Approaches to Photography

The camera was seen as a communi-

cation machine for making images.

Swiss designer/photographer
Herbert Matter expanded the camera
as a tool.

He studied painting in Paris under

Fernand Léger and discovered pho-
tography during his education.

He worked as a photographer and

typographer with Deberny and
Peignot.
Herbert Matter, Swiss tourism poster, 1934
History
History of Design The
of Design Bauhaus and the New Typography
New Approaches to Photography

Matter also worked with Cassandre

in poster design.

At the age of 24 he moved to his na-

tive Switzerland and began work for
the Swiss National Tourism Office.

He was well schoolled in modernist

approaches to visual organization
and its techniques.

Herbert Matter, Swiss tourism poster, 1935

History
History of Design The
of Design Bauhaus and the New Typography
New Approaches to Photography

His dynamic posters of the 30’s use

montage, dynamic scale and effec-
tive typography.

In his designs he used dynamic

changes in scale such as in the
Pontresina poster with the large head
in the foregound and the small skier
in the back.

Herbert Matter, Pontresina poster, 1934

History
History of Design The
of Design Bauhaus and the New Typography
New Approaches to Photography

Walter Herdeg, Swiss graphic de-

signer, used photography as a major
portion of his designs.

He went on to found Graphis maga-

zine.

Graphis is possibly the most success-

ful and prestigious of the international
design journals even to this day.

Walter Herdeg, poster for St. Moritz, 1936