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14 of 16 persons found the following review helpful.
Tineline confusion
By Kenneth J. Hiebert
Hollis's book, while broad in it is documentation and admirable in it is visual institution of the Swiss developments, comes to assorted determinations which will have to be questioned. The basi is the disproportionate and misguided prominence afforded Theo Ballmer as a prime influence stemming from his experience at the Bauhaus. Whatever Ballmer's influence as a poster architect in the 20s was, he had gotten his necessary training in the Basel school, which underwent it is own ongoing and for the most part independent modernist development, prior to Ballmer's very brief time at the Bauhaus. The Bauhaus influence is deemed minor by the emergent Basel school, and Ballmer's later influence in instructing photography and lettering has to be considered a lesser one.

Significant likewise is the confusedness in reporting influences in development of the cutting edge Geigy Pharmaceuticals graphics program where the influences of Armin Hofmann and Emil Ruder as educators of the leading Geigy designers are missing. While this is inferred on page 162 in the statement that "the Geigy style originated in the instructing at the Allgemeine Gewerbeschule," the key influences in Basel--Hofmann and Ruder--are not mentioned.

Similarly, Hollis traits Müller-Brockman's "conversion" to the influences of Lohse and Vivarelli, the proof being the concert hall posters of 1951 and 52. While this is unquestionably a move in that direction from an earlier illustrative style, the most convincing change, and the style by which Müller-Brockman is widely known, emerged on the hiring of graduates of the Basel school beneath Armin Hofmann in 1955. This means that Hofmann and Ruder pre-date Müller-Brockman's mature style rather of being placed as p. 214 as a distinguished and later development--and not as a precursor feeding the more prominent Swiss development from a more humanistic perspective than the more constructivist direction of the Zürich school. One may argue regarding which contributed most to the global prominence of Swiss design, but Hollis's own statement p. 215 in regards to the world-wide signification of Hofmann's Graphic Design Manual, Principles and Practice, on education is telling. Müller-Brockman's more goal to be attained approach was in all likelihood more influential in the world of corporate graphics.

Hollis betrays a bias, perhaps, in his strange analysis of Hofmann's Tell poster and omits such key poster attainments as the "Switzerland in the Roman Era" (1957). It is ominous that Hollis did not consultation Armin and Dorothea Hofmann. They are few of the remaining key figures from the era of Hollis's investigation.

5 of 5 persons found the following review helpful.
To go boldly with Helvetica
By Robin Benson
The 'Swiss style' comes alive in this arousing and attention holding and very comprehensive study. If you design for print and ever wondered how a great deal of every day graphic principles and typefaces originated the answer is in these pages. The story begins in twenties central Europe with a merging of innovative art, the Bauhaus, Russian constructivism, craft printing techniques, photography and strong cultural complex mental states in German speaking Zurich. All of these influences devised a graphic language of simplicity and directness that disseminate throughout Switzerland and one would suppose not one thing less from a country related with order and precision.

Interesting as the text is I was in particular impressed with the assorted hundred illustrations (all with spacious captions) and as this is a book in regards to a visual style and fundamentally a printed one the choice of posters, examples of typography and a good deal of spreads from brochures, magazines, books all work well to supplement the words.

I was mesmerized in the various pages devoted to the magazine 'Neue Grafik' (New Graphic Design) which was the flagship publication of the Zurich modernists. It only ran for seventeen issues (from 1958 to a double issue seventeen and eighteen in 1965) but was genuinely the only chance for designers outside Switzerland to see what was going on. Strangely, in spite of the design aiming for clarity, reading the issues was a bit of a chore. Three languages were set in each edition in one typeface and one size with paragraphs stretching most times to hundreds of words with no par indents or line space. However each disseminate looked fresh and lively thanks to the publication's grid.

I think it is worth commenting on the book's production. Designed by the author it uses a two column grid but nicely a great deal of pages just have one column of text and the space for the other text column is separated into two and employed for illustrations and captions. The a great deal of variations of these column elements in truth make the pages sparkle and I think a good deal of publication designers could learn something by studying how the text and graphics blend together allround the book.

Richard Hollis is to be congratulated on writing and designing a book that will surely be regarded as the definitive study when it comes to the roots of the Swiss Style.

***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' beneath the cover.

1 of 1 persons found the following review helpful.
Great overview of the Swiss style
By soph
I decisive to buy this book after watching the Helvetica DVD and was so inspired by Swiss design, I had to check out this book. I was not disappointed, pages of full colour images, and elaborate explanations when it comes to the art and the designers intended communication. Fantastic resource for graphic design students!

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