Josef Müller-Brockmann

Josef Müller-Brockmann (1914–1996) was a leading figure in Swiss graphic design. Starting the 1950s, he helped to pioneer the Swiss Style that would shape graphic design worldwide for decades. After an early career doing illustrations, Müller-Brockmann did a radical about-face in 1950, henceforth developing an uncompromisingly rational formal language. His posters are legendary and his magazine “New Graphic Design” (1958–1965) spread the doctrine of sober design based on constructive principles across the continents. As a teacher in Japan and at the design schools in Zurich and Ulm, as well as a lecturer and consultant, Müller-Brockmann was a distinctive voice in the design world. He was married to the Japanese-Swiss artist Shizuko Yoshikawa.