Willi Kunz: Working from the Outside In| Emma Adu-Damoah

Willi

Kunz:

The Prcoess of Working from the Outside In

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Willi Kunz

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Throughout his career, Willi Kunz lived by one philosophy regarding the process of design work: Determine the purpose of the design, layout the larger pieces of the design, then focus on the little details.

Retaining information from his design education Kunstgewerbeschule Zurich (School of Arts and Crafts), his later employment Ansapch, Grossman & Portugal, a corporate identity consulting firm in New York City, and his design inspirations, one of which being Wolfgang Weingart, Kunz became known as one of the new and fresh graphic designers of the 1990s.

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Kunz has been and always will be honored for his work and his role in the progression of typography and graphic design as a whole. He broke free of the traditional formatting and structure of from before the 1970s and just pushed his style to the fore front. Kunz was not afraid to push the envelope and open himself up to “creative experimentation�. Due to this fearlessness of taking the idea of graphic design and experimenting with a different, new idea, many designers after him will be able to invent a new way of seeing, and working with design.

1. The New Graphic. Magazine Cover. 1979 2. Willi Kunz. Architects, Designers, and Builders Pantone on Tones: Color Picks for 2006. Poster. 2006.

3. Willi Kunz. Columbia University School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation, Fall 1998 Lecture Series. Poster. 1998.

4. Willi Kunz. Columbia University School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation, Fall 1987 Lecture Series. Poster. 1987.

5. Willi Kunz. Columbia University School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation, Fall 1987 Lecture Series. Poster. 1987.

6. Announcement. Willi Kunz: Architectural Typography exhibition. 1998.

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Working

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Developing authenic and original ideas demands careful observation of, and response to, technological, social and envioronmental changes. It also requires independent thinking that is attuned to evolving attitudes and fresh experiences rather than aurosry glances through history books and design annuals.

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In the book Typography: Macro- and Microaesthetics, Kunz gives the reader the project in question; for example, a poster showing the spread of urbanization into more suburban areas. He then explains the larger lay out of the backgwwround of the piece, the shapes and colors as well as the figure-ground relationships. And the final step is to focus-in on the little details, such as the text, typeface, the smaller spots of colors and the type placement.

The purpose of this design is to show the differences between the density of the suburbs and the city.

By increasing the size photographs, it implies a gradual growth of industral environment spreading thorughout the city. The interesting shapes of the government allows the eye to move around the enitre frame.

The lines at the top that form a kind of grid helps connect title of the poster to the university associated with it, as well as showing a visual hierarchy. The grid structures to the side of the design also help connect the words describing the content of this design.

Columbia University, Master of Science in Architechture and Urban Design poster. 1992

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Aspects of Design in Typography: Macro and Micro Aesthetics Spread. 2000

The Process

Typographic communation, as well, requires that certain basic grammatical and visual standards be followed, and that all parties share the same visual and verbal vocabulary.

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In Kunz’s book Typography: Macro- and Microaesthetics, he shows a few examples of calender designs by Fredrich Cantor as well as very basic layouts of these designs.

These design are very much dictated by a grid-like structure that shows visual hierarchy, is conherently organized, and the eye is able to move throughout the design easliy.

Kunz emphasizes the importance of working on a design, and always go back to it to “create, refine” and make sure all demands and expectations of said design are intentional, carefully executed and, most importantly, complete.

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process of typographic design is thus one of

creating, refining, looping back, and synthesizing myraid demands and details.

Workshop in Advanced Typogrpahy Ohio State University. Poster. 1974

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Columbia University School of Architeture, Planning, and Preservation, Fall 1994 Lecture Series Poster . 1994

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