otl aicher 100

This quote by designer Otl Aicher (1922–1991) pervades his entire oeuvre which significantly influenced the visual and intellectual design of everyday culture in the second half of the 20^th century. His posters, pictograms and corporate image designs set the standards for today’s graphic designers and reflect his fundamental attitudes of a world designed by and for humans. Shaped by his experience with fascism, Otl Aicher strived to humanise everyday life. His aim was to create a reason-based order of things and rules-oriented design principles, whereby freedom and order did not contradict one another. Aicher’s central undertaking – visual communication – was punctuated by forays into philosophy, politics and architecture. He saw himself as a designer in the sense of “disegno” – a comprehensive concept of the world combining thought and action. He constantly reflected and substantiated his own positions.
In commemoration of his 100^th anniversary, the project “otl aicher 100” aims to shed light on the working methods of this “philosophising designer” and provide visitors with a better understanding of his multifaceted, interdisciplinary oeuvre. The centrepiece is an online platform which seeks to reach a broad audience and inspire thoughts on a variety of areas, e.g. society, culture, mobility, ecology and economy. The platform is conceived as a curated space which encourages public dialogue and discussion: How do we want to live and work? What do we expect from design? How can we still experience nature? On the open-source, open-content platform, visitors can become designers themselves and upload their own content. The website will be accompanied by four hybrid podium discussions which will assess Otl Aicher’s impact from today’s perspective and address questions on the condition of “design of the world”. The programme is being jointly developed by the HfG-Archiv in Ulm, the Werkbund Berlin and the Akademie der Künste.

Project manager: Ingrid Krauß
Artistic director: Kai Gehrmann
Curator: Florian Aicher
Editorial team: Florian Aicher, Thomas Edelmann, Chup Friemert, Kai Gehrmann, Jasmin Jouhar, Katharina Kurz, Dagmar Rinker, Gerrit Terstiege

Moderated podium discussion: 13 May 2022, Academy of Arts, Berlin; 25 Jun. 2022, University of Design Archive (HfG Archiv), Ulm; 26 Aug. 2022, Academy of Arts, Berlin; 20 Oct. 2022, Architektur Galerie Berlin