CDT101A KBlesing Ascender Magazine Wolfgang Weingart

ISSUE #1 JANUARY 2017

ASCENW I T H D E L I B E R AT E CARELESSNESS

WOLFGANG

WEINGART

“I took ‘Swiss Typography’ as my starting point, but then I blew it apart, never forcing any style upon my students.

I never intended to create a “style.”

– Wolfgang Weingart

WITH DELIBERATE CARELESSNESS Wolfgang Weingart is an internationally recognized graphic designer well known for his typography work. Weingart was born in 1941 and grew up in Germany. This is where he began his studies at the Merz Academy in Stuttgart, where he undertook a two year program in applied graphic arts in 1958. He completed a typesetting apprenticeship at Ruwe Printing, in hot metal hand composition, which took him three years. It was here that he met Karl August Hanke who was the company’s consulting designer. Hanke became a mentor to Weingart and encouraged him to pursue study in Switzerland.

His work can often be characterized as starting as Swiss Typography, but he was experimental and never stuck by the rules. His style, while very unique and original, has since been talked about as the beginning of ‘New Wave’ design.

This is a style of typography that involves breaking the common typography rules. It is characterized by using different typefaces, unusual lettering positioning, and inconsistent letter spacing. It is clear to see that Weingart was possibly influenced by punk. He never stuck to the grid. His work was less structured, often playing around with positioning and layers and bleeding off the page.

Weingart’s process preceded the technology we have today. Alot of his work was created by printing, cutting up and rearranging his designs.

His work involved alot of photocopying and half tone printing to all effects. Collage techniques were also used.

Weingart went and visited Armin Hofman and Emil Ruder in Basel in 1963. This is where he began his teaching career at the Basel School of Design, appointed there by Hofman, as an instructor of typography. He began his new design life at Basel as a ‘guest listener’ at the school but found the International Style had limits. He got a bit rebellious and invited other speakers who felt the same way to give lectures against the school. These other speakers included: G.G Lange from the Berthold Typefoundry, Hap Grieshaber, and Anton Stankowski. Ruder was not impressed. Weingart’s other teaching highlights include teaching for the Yale University Summer Design program in Brissago between 1974 and 1966, and lecturing throughout Asia, Australia, Europe and the Americas.

Weingart taught typography for 37 years and always encouraged his students to not adopt particular styles but to experiment and develop their own unique work.

The Design Quarterly published an article from Weingart in 1985 about the principals of typography. Since that article was published, he changed many things about his work but emphasised that the principals never changed.

From 1978 to 1999, Wolfgang Weingart was a member of the AGI. He has received several awards over the years for his lifework including an Honorary Doctorate in Fine Arts by the Massachusetts College of Art and Design in Boston in 2005 and the AIGA Medal in 2013.

Wolfgang Weingart is still alive today and is still influencing young designers through various lectures around the place, even though he is officially retired.

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