Presenting...Eduard Hoffmann Brief History Born in Zürich May 26, 1892.! Studied technology and...
Transcript of Presenting...Eduard Hoffmann Brief History Born in Zürich May 26, 1892.! Studied technology and...
Presenting
Max Miedinger Jordan N Anderson
Max Miedinger
Brief History
❖ Born in Zürich 1910 - 1980.!❖ Age 16 - longed to be a painter.!❖ “First learn a proper trade.”!❖ 1926 - apprenticeship as a type setter !❖ “I want to be a designer, not spend the
rest of my life fiddling with columns of type in galleys.”!
❖ Zurich School of Arts and Crafts.!❖ Night classes - Kunstge Werbeschule
Career Timeline❖ 1936 - 1946 Typographer in the Globus department chain - Zürich.!❖ 1947 - 1956 Customer counselor/typeface sales representative for
the Haas’sche Schriftgießerei - Münchenstein.!❖ 1956 - 1957 Became a freelance graphic artist with a fair amount of
success - Zürich.!❖ 1957 Eduard Hoffmann being impressed, approached Miedinger
to discuss his “secret project”, which would bring the Haas foundry new commercial success.!
❖ 1957 - 1961 Co-Designed ‘Neue Hass Grotesk’ later got renamed Helvetica.
Eduard Hoffmann
Brief History
❖ Born in Zürich May 26, 1892.!❖ Studied technology and engineering -
Zürich, Berlin, and Munich.!❖ 25 years old - took position under director
his uncle Max Krayer at Hass’sche Schriftgiesserei - Münchenstein, Switzerland.!
❖ 1937 became co-manager of the company!❖ 1944 became sole manager after uncle died. !❖ 1950 Hoffmann decides to make a new Sans
Serif in the Swiss market to compete with European countries.
Helvetica
Quick Look
❖ Original designer Günter Gerhard Lange 1921-2008 ‘Akzidenz Grotesk’!
❖ In a reaction to swiss movement ‘Miedinger and Hoffmenn recreated as Neue Hass Grotesk!
❖ The Hass type foundry was majority owned by D. Stempel AG. - Liontype.!
❖ Helvetia - latin for Switzerland, Helvetica - The Swiss Typeface!
❖ Became face of Swiss.
–David Carson
“If you have no intuitive sense of design, then call yourself an information architect and only use
Helvetica.”
–Steff Geissbuhler
“I have never designed a logotype without first trying it in Helvetica. It is still the most versatile,
classic and readable of all typefaces.”
–Hamish Muir
“We hate to like Helvetica.”
Max Miedinger
The Typographer
❖ Miedinger !❖ Miedinger Bold!❖ Monospace 821!❖ Neue Haas Grotesk Display!❖ Neue Haas Grotesk Display Black !❖ Neue Haas Grotesk Display Extra Thin!❖ Neue Haas Grotesk Text!❖ Neue Haas Grotesk Text Bold !❖ Swiss 721!❖ Swiss 921!
–Nick Carson
“It's the eternal question for graphic designers the world over: Something like Helvetica, but not
Helvetica.”
Max Miedinger
The End Any Questions ?