Bruno Monguzzi - Isa Tetreault

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MUSEO CANTONALE D’ARTE LUGANO, 1999

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“If you keep shouting, you are not making communication any better. You are only removing talking and whispering from the system. I find our society a bit noisy. I just would like to contribute a little silence.�

Bruno Monguzzi is a Swiss graphic designer whose work embodies the spirit of geometry and functionality. When approaching a new project, Monguzzi does not focus initially on the aesthetics, but rather, the substance or content. He draws the appropriate aesthetics from that content, rather than making it fit a certain aesthetic. Monguzzi’s designs are strongly based in modernism, though his work resists classification. It is all about functionalism. It is about finding the appropriate visual form to answer a problem.

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NANDO SNOZZI, 1990

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MAJAKOVSKIJ, MEJERCHOL’D, STANISLAVSKIJ, 1975

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LYONEL FEININGER EXHIBIT - MUSEO CANTONALE, 1991

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DAS TESSIN UND SEINE PHOTOGRAPHEN, 1988

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MUSEO CANTONALE D’ARTE LUGANO, 1999

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LYONEL FEININGER EXHIBIT - MUSEO CANTONALE, 1991

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FLAMMER/PAOLUCCI, MUSEO CANTONALE 1988

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GEOMETRY AND TYPOGRAPHY

Monguzzi’s work defends the long-practiced aesthetic of functional and constructive graphics, connected closely to the fathers of modern graphic design. His work has a strong geometric spirit that is embodied in his typography and forms in figure-ground relationships. He focuses on the essential information required to get a point across, rather than filling a composition with unnecessary forms and images. Monguzzi’s work is deceptively simple, focusing most on typeface, color, format, and paper quality. As is typical of Swiss design, his work is meticulously ordered. However, there lies within it a spark of spontaneity. He intends to give the subject of his work a visual presence that communicates to the viewer.

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CITTÁ DI MILANO, 1981

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LA DONAZIONE PANZA DI BIUMO, 1995

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L’IMMAGINE RITROVATA, 2002

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SWISS DESIGN AND SPONTANEITY

“…it was so rigid in syntax that it was, in some cases, no longer functional.”

Monguzzi possesses a natural skill for hand lettering and craftsmanship. He has a strong grasp on the rules and methodologies of visual communications and aesthetics without requiring years of training. He is able to quickly find the solution to most visual problems and understands the language of type.

Monguzzi follows the International Typographic Style (also known as Swiss Design) without being impersonal. It can be difficult to identify his work because he doesn’t follow the same preconceived matrix with every piece.

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BRANDING “The communication product should primarily bear the trademark of the sender, not the designer [...] Communication is ultimately dealing with what you wish to happen in someone else’s mind.”

MANIF. PER L’APERTURA DEL MUSÉE D’ORSAY, 1986

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LES NOCES, 1988

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ORIGINALITY “Disobey the wrong briefs. Disobey the rules when they don’t allow you to reach the proper goal. Don’t let fashion, style, and trends tear off pages from the dictionary of visual communication.”

Designed and written by Isa Tetreault Composed in Helvetica, typeface designed by Max Miedinger in 1957 Printed from Toshiba ColorMFP-X4 printer onto Hammermill 80# cover paper Copyright © 2016 Isa Tetreault, Portland, Maine, Maine College of Art “Bruno Monguzzi.” Cooper Hewitt. Web. 27 Mar. 2016.

“Bruno Monguzzi: Vintage Posters.” International Poster Gallery. Web. 27 Mar. 2016.

Nunoo-Quarcoo, Franc. Bruno Monguzzi: A Designer’s Perspective. Baltimore, MD: Fine Arts Gallery, U of Maryland, 1998. Print.