Armin Hofmann (born June 29, 1920)
is a Swiss graphic designer
and an Honorary Royal Designer for Industry (UK).
Hofmann began his career in 1947 as a teacher at the
Basel School of Art and Crafts at the age of twenty-six. Hofmann followed Emil Ruder as head of the graphic design department,
and was instrumental in developing the graphic design style known as the International Swiss Style. The style has two distinct
branches in Zurich and Basel.
The work is known for its reliance on the fundamental elements of graphic form - point, line, and shape
– whilst, at the same time, conveying simplicity, complexity, representation, and abstraction.
Originating in Russia, Germany and The Netherlands during the 1920s, and stimulated by the artistic avant-garde and supporting
the International Style in modern architecture, Swiss typographic design positioned itself as the
He is well known for his posters,
which emphasized economical use of colour and lettering.
Hofmann’s teaching methods were unorthodox and broad based, setting new standards that became widely known in design education
institutions throughout the world.
His independent insights as an educator, married with his rich and innovative powers of visual expression, created a body of work
enormously varied - books, exhibitions, stage sets, logotypes, symbols, typography, posters, sign systems, and environmental graphics.
His posters have been widely exhibited as works of art in major galleries, such as MoMA, NYC.
William Tell 1963
Klaus Oberer
Stadt Theatre 1967
Pierre Mendell
Ehemalige schuler der Grafik 1967
