Citations

The architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe adopted the phrase “Less is more” from a poem of Robert Browning. The phrase is a clear example of the modernist approach towards art and design. Hans Hofman explained really well saying:

“The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak' From Lecture notes

De Stijl and Bauhaus put this in practice with the elimination of ornaments, and by simplifying the forms and colours the functionality became an important element. Bauhaus students were told that there is no distinction between form and function because “Form follows function” in words of graphic design meant make work appropriate for the period they were living. Herbert Bayer said really clearly that:

'The importance of the Bauhaus is not the result of it's success in developing prototypes for industrial production, which was limited, but rather to the compelling nature of its original idea of collaboration between art, craft, and industry in the education of designers, and the hope that modern design could reshape and unify art and life.' History of Modern Design (2010)

The concept of art and design changed completely after Bauhaus. In 1923 Jan Tshichold after attending the first Bauhaus exhibition, got impressed. This ideas inspired him to make the book 'Die Neue Typographie' (New typography in english):

'The essence of the New Typography is Clarity. This puts it into deliberate opposition to the old typography whose aim was 'beauty' and whose clarity did not attain the high level we require today. This utmost clarity is necessary today because the manifold claims for our attention made by the extraordinary amount of print, which demands the greatest economy of expression.' Just my type: a book about fonts (2010)

He limited typefaces to sans serif types, being more expressive, simplistic and clearer than the serifs. This book help to understand the main ideas of modernist and made a new era for typography. With the Swiss style order was a important point so designers start using grids gradually. Wim Crouwel is one of them, saying that people call him grid-nik for his very strict system of grids.

'For me it's a tool of creating order. And creating order is typography.' Helvetica (2007)

Massimo Vignelli explains the importance of a Swiss characteristic:

'Good typographer always have sensibility about the distance between letters, we think typography is black and white, typography is really white is not even black it is the space between the blacks that really makes the difference.' Helvetica (2007)

Rick Poynor talked about the necessity of Swiss Style in that period, also in Helvetica (2007)

'There was a real sense of social responsibility among designers. And Swiss designers in the 50s were really driving that along. This is when Helvetica emerge in 1957, where there is felt to be a need for rational typefaces which can be applied to all kinds of contemporary information'