Akzidenz

Grotesk

But not only the preconceived idea of axial arrangement but also all other preconceived ideas — like those of the pseudo-constructivists — are dia­metrically opposed to the essence of the New Typography. Every piece of typography which originates in a preconceived idea of form, of whatever kind, is wrong. The New Typography is distinguished from the old by the fact that its first objective is to develop its visible form out of the functions of the text. It is essential to give pure and direct expression to the contents of whatever is printed; just as in the works of technology and nature, ”form” must be created out of function. Only then can we achieve a typography which expresses the spirit of modern man. The function of printed text is communication, emphasis (word value) , and the logical sequence of the contents.

00. Josef Müller-Brockmann. Poster for here goes name

 

 

 

00. Josef Müller-Brockmann. Poster for here goes name

 

 

 

00. Josef Müller-Brockmann. Poster for here goes name

 

 

 

00. Armin Hofmann. Das Holz als Bau Stoff. 1952




 

 

00. Poster, Grammo-Grafik, 1957. Collection of Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum

 

 

00. Akzidenz-Grotesk designed in 1896 for the H. Berthold AG type foundry. The face was a hallmark of the modernist Swiss Style.

 

 

 

00. Armin Hofmann. Giselle, Basler Freilichtspiele. 1959

 

Every part of a text relates to every other part by a definite, logical relationship of emphasis and value, predetermined by content. It is up to the typographer to express this relationship clearly and visibly, through type sizes and weight, arrangement of lines, use of colour, photography, etc. The typographer must take the greatest care to study how his work is read and ought to be read. It is true that we usually read from top left to bottom right — but this is not a law. It is shown at its clearest in Willi Baumeister's invitation card. There is no doubt that we read most printed matter in successive steps: first the heading (which need not be the opening word) and then, if we continue to read the printed matter at all, we read the rest bit by bit according to its importance. It is therefore quite feasible to start reading a text at a different point from the top left. The exact place depends entirely on the kind of printed matter and the text itself. But we must admit that there are dangers in departing from the main rule of reading from the top to the bottom. One must therefore, in general, not set a following body of text higher than the preceding one — assuming that the arrangement of the text has a logical sequence and order.

masterpieces of ergonomic design.

1927

41

53

70s

Beginning in 1943, the Eameses rented a former garage at 901 Washington Blvd., Venice, Calif., which they shared with the Evans company, a producer of large molded-plywood objects. It was in the garage that the Eameses built the hydroplane fuselage and their first mass-produced furniture. Evans manufactured the furniture from 1946 to 1949, at which point the Michigan firm of Herman Miller obtained the exclusive rights. Some Eames chairs produced in the 1940s carry the labels of both companies, suggesting that Evans was a subcontractor for Herman Miller for a time, as Zenith, another California company, would be.

It is often said that Gilbert Rohde, the chief designer at Herman Miller, invited the Eameses to work for the firm. This is doubtful in that the first Eames pieces produced by Herman Miller date from 1945—1946, and Rohde died in 1944. It is more likely that the company took notice of the Eameses after Charles’ personal exhibition at MOMA in 1946. The partnership soon extended beyond furniture design. Charles Eames would design Miller catalogs and, in 1950, the display at the Herman Miller store in Los Angeles. In 1954 he designed and built a home for Max De Pree, the son of of Herman Miller’s founder Dirk Jan (D. J.) De Pree, in Zeeland, Mich., site of the Herman Miller factory.

In 1957, a Swiss company, Vitra, won the right to manufacture Herman Miller furniture, including pieces designed by the Eameses, for the European market. Protracted negotiations were involved, including copyright discussions, and the Eameses took part. The present owner of Vitra, Rolf Fehlbaum, recalls that with his schoolboy knowledge of English he was sometimes called on to help translate for his father (who did not know English). Today Eames furniture has only two legal producers — Herman Miller in the US and Vitra in Europe.

The Eameses faced complex construction problems in making their molded plywood furniture. A sheet of plywood can take only so much folding. The glue can give way under pressure, and the layers then separate. To circumvent the pressure problem, Charles Eames and Eero Saarinen in 1940 had cut an opening in the plywood at the point of greatest pressure, the point where the back transitions into the seat. But the chairs still failed, as we know, and mass production was canceled. Over time, the Eameses came up with other solutions. Finally, however, they had to separate the back from the seat, using separate back and seat plates affixed to the frame. The shape of the frame also took much time and experimentation, but the early prototypes already include the famous three-legged design.

The plywood chairs that Evans and then Herman Miller have been producing since 1946 — the DCM (Dining Chair Metal), LCM (Lounge Chair Metal), DCW and LCW (with plywood bases) — are

 

 

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by

42. Pillow

43. Food package

44. Clothes

45. Plate, Tatazumai collection of artisan crafts

48. Wrapping bag

50. Electric kettle

51. Shower radio

51. Shower radio