Josef Müller-Brockmann » Books

Helvetica and the New York City Subway System

admin — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 11:57:16 +0000

There is a common belief, reinforced by Gary Hustwit’s documentary film Helvetica, that Helvetica is the signage typeface of the New York City subway system. But it is not true—or rather, it is only somewhat true.

Helvetica is the official typeface of the MTA today, but it was not the typeface specified by Unimark International when they created the signage system at the end of the 1960s. Why was Helvetica not chosen originally? What was chosen in its place? Why is Helvetica now used? When did the changeover occur? Helvetica and the New York City Subway System answers these questions and then goes beyond them to look at how the subway’s signage system has evolved over the past forty years. The resulting story is more than a tale of a typeface. It is a look at the forces that have molded a signage system.

Lars Müller Publishers launches new web site

admin — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 15:15:34 +0000

You can now download Lars Müller Publishers complete catalogue in PDF format.

Lars Müller Publishers is an internationally active publishing house. It came into being in Baden, Switzerland, in 1983, as a result of the bibliophile passion of designer Lars Müller. The press has made a worldwide name for itself – and not just in specialist fields – with carefully edited and designed publications on architecture, design, and contemporary art.

Lars Müller works closely with his authors to produce significant publications of great independence, to the highest possible standards.

Unimark International

admin — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 13:43:39 +0000

Unimark International was innovative in expanding the boundaries of design, business and technology in the early 1960s and early ’70s, sometimes leaping ahead of the norm by many decades. The company deserves recognition for its influence in a specific era of design history and for the many ideas and achievements – in the USA, Europe, Africa and South America – that have continuing validity beyond that era and the profession of design.

Buy the book in the USA
Buy the book in the UK

Penguin Grid, 1961

admin — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 21:18:25 +0000

(Via Gridness)

Business Plan Book Design

admin — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 15:47:14 +0000

Sad Bird Design, A Collective Design Firm in St. Louis, USA, announced the release of their friend’s business plan book that has been a few months in the making! Well done, chaps :0)

They are also offering a PDF download of their finished article, along with grid system that they have used.

The Graphic Artist and His Design Problems Book

admin — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 14:09:50 +0000

If chapter titles like “Sans Serif as the expression of our age” interest you, this book is for you.

Penned and compiled by Brockmann himself, it is a cross between his History of Visual Communication book and the monograph Pioneer of Swiss Graphic design. He organizes his work and notable works of others into categories, and then writes short design theories (ie Uniformity in Advertising), based on the groupings.

This book does double duty also as a classic Swiss visual look book with hundreds of images, layouts, logo examples, and more, all placed in Brockmann’s impeccable grid design. 200 pages, 1 chapter in color.

History of the Poster reprint by Phaidon

admin — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 13:45:30 +0000

Phaidon Store is now selling a reprint of a classic and hard-to-find book originally published in 1971. History of the Poster/Geschichte des Plakates/Histoire de l’affiche was conceived, written and designed by Swiss master Josef Müller-Brockmann – one of the 20th century’s greatest graphic designers.

It offers a seminal study of the genealogy of the modern poster from the late 19th century to the 1970s and has been richly illustrated with an outstanding archive of 291 images selected by Müller-Brockmann, accompanied by his intriguing insights into composition, function and style.

What’s more, the re-print preserves the design, layout and concept of the landmark original edition.

Price: USD$39.95

Display Graphic Design Collection v1.0

admin — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 21:54:40 +0000

Display is a curated collection of important graphic design books, periodicals, ephemera & more. Browse the collection, purchase an important book or read a noteworthy feature article.

Josef Müller-Brockmann Shop Launched

admin — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 13:12:12 +0000

I have just launched the Josef Müller-Brockmann shop where you can buy all things related to ‘Müller-Brockmann’, ‘Swiss Graphic Design’ and ‘Grid Systems’ in one convenient place.