Ulm: Max Bill

Max Bill was an influential Swiss graphic designer, typographer, Bauhaus artist, architect, and a principal figure of Concrete Art. He was also the co founder of the Ulm School of Design, where he was the head of the Architecture and Product Design department in the 1950's. In addition to building and teaching in the Ulm School of Design, Max Bill also taught at the School of Arts in Zurich in 1944. He became a professor at State School for Fine Arts in Hamburg in 1967 and received awards, honours and an honorary degree.Max Bill's work was primarily influenced by the Bauhaus design philosophy “form follows function.”. He also sought to create forms in accordance to Concrete Art philosophy--art should be non-referential, it should not refer to, allude to, the entities normally encountered in the natural, visible world. It is intended to emanate directly from the mind. He understood that embodiment of ideas is the ultimate expression of concrete art. This is evident in his work through the use of precision and proportion, and clarity of design composition. This clarity is expressed with the use of clear geometric shapes, sans-serif fonts, and bold solid colours.