Josef Müller Brockmann

Josef Müller Brockmann was a graphic designer and teacher who was born and raised in Switzerland. He designed numerous posters for the Zurich town hall, taught at the Zurich arts and crafts school, wrote books that explain his design philosophies and principles, and even toured the U.S. and Canada toward the end of his life to speak about his work.

Brockmanns work was inspired by several art movements including Constructivism, De Stijl, Supermatism and Bauhaus. Each of his pieces have a strong sense of movement and drama. His work draws you in and makes you want to look at it in depth for a while, but you’re not sure exactly why you want to look at it so badly. I think that his work has this effect on viewers because of the sense of importance his work gives off. He doesn’t use an insane amount of lines or color to draw peoples attention, but rather elegance and organized placement. This two things combined gives a very strong feeling of importance and makes viewers feel like if they don’t look at the piece, they aren’t as cultured or smart as those who do. Brockmanns work communicates what it’s supposed to excellently as is very easy to read.