Otl Aicher (1922–1991) was an internationally acclaimed graphic designer and educator, renowned for his corporate identity work, visual communication systems, and typography. Born in post-World War I Germany and coming of age during World War II, Aicher was marked by the intellectual resistance movement, postwar reconstruction, and a conviction that designers had a moral responsibility to work in the service of a better society. He emerged as an influential innovator in the field of visual communication, keenly informed by a strong sense of politics, theology, and social responsibility. By distilling ideology, language, and aesthetics to its bare essentials, Aicher promoted forthright communication through simple, elegant, elemental presentation.

Aicher helped found the Hochschule für Gestaltung (HfG) in Ulm, an experimental design school in the spirit of the Bauhaus, and wrote several books on the theory and practice of design and typography. Among Aicher’s best-known work are his early posters; corporate identity programs for Lufthansa, BASF, FSB, and the German lighting firm ERCO; his visual communication system for the Munich Olympics of 1972, which set a standard for universal pictograms; and his typeface Rotis. In his later career Aicher collaborated with Sir Norman Foster on a number of building projects and information systems.

Although Aicher wrote a number of books on design, this book is this first comprehensive and authoritative account of his life and work, with extensive illustrations from private archives, museums, and Aicher’s estate.