Design Literacy: Understanding Graphic Design

accordingly moved. I marvel at their formal purity, yet also feel the
designer’s passion for the material.
And although as a writer of manuals and teacher at Basel School
of Design and Yale University, Hofmann established standards and
formulas for design, it seems apparent from the work of his most able
students that he did not simply preach the gospel of standardization as a
catechism for all design. He gave his students tools and a solid armature on
which to build classical or “timeless” typography, but he also imparted a
sense of passion (or soul). Hofmann could not produce the work found in
this collection—posters that not only formally stand the test of time but
also continue to resonate with viewers such as me on an emotional level—
without a total commitment to his art and design. So, in addition to his
expert ability to manipulate type and image, this soul is what gives this
work and his legacy its impact.