Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
drive and inform our work. Evidence of this can be found throughout design history
and in the work of many of the designers featured in earlier chapters.
When first studying Fine Arts at the Academie Minerva in Groningen, the Nether-
lands, legendary graphic designer Wim Crouwel said he was more inspired by the
building (the first modernist building in Holland) than by the work that went on with-
in it. Crouwel is known for the 'architectural' use of space in his design work, and
there is no doubt that this early inspiration shaped his subsequent work. In the late
1950s he read the topic
Grid Systems in Graphic Design
by Josef Müller-Brockmann
(see Chapter 3), and this too inspired his use of the grid in his posters. These are just
two examples of the many influences on his work. Müller-Brockmann also looked
beyond his own field for inspiration:
'What pleases me is that I have always sought what is better, that I have still remained
selfcritical, and that I am still interested in things outside my own field. My library
is the expression of my curiosity. I would advise young people to look at everything
they encounter in a critical light and try to find a better solution.'
Josef Müller-Brockmann, in an interview with Yvonne Schwemer-
Scheddin, ©
Eye
magazine, 2001
US designer David Carson, who is best known for his influential magazine designs,
is also clear on the potential sources of inspiration:
'My environment always influences me. I'm always taking photos and I believe the
things I see and experience influence my work. … I think it is really important that
designers put themselves into the work. No one else has your background, upbring-
ing, life experiences, and if you can put a bit of that into your work, two things will
happen; you'll enjoy the work more and you'll do your best work.'
David Carson,
Layers
magazine, 2007
The world that surrounds a designer can shape his or her ideas. The agency Idiom
in Bangalore looked to Otl Aicher's 1972 Munich Olympics pictograms (see p. 41)
and to Sanjhi, a form of Indian folk art, when they were commissioned to design the
pictograms for the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi. The shape of the logo for
the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, created by design studio Tátil, was inspired by the
Brazilian environment; it is based on the famous Rio landmark of Sugarloaf Moun-
tain.
