Logo Modernism by Jens Müller XL Taschen Book

Examine the distillation of modernism in graphic design with this vast collection of approximately 6,000 logos from 1940–1980. Ranging from media outfits to retail giants, airlines to art galleries, these clean, clear visual concepts may be seen as the visual birth of corporate identity. Modernist aesthetics in architecture, art and product design are familiar to many. In soaring glass structures or minimalist canvases, we recognize a time of vast technological advance that affirmed the power of human beings to reshape their environment and to break, radically, from the conventions or constraints of the past. Less well-known, but no less fascinating, is the distillation of modernism in graphic design.

Alongside the comprehensive catalog, the book features an introduction from Jens Müller on the history of logos, and an essay by R. Roger Remington on modernism and graphic design. Eight designer profiles and eight instructive case studies are also included, with a detailed look at the life and work of such luminaries as Paul Rand, Yusaku Kamekura and Anton Stankowski, and at such significant projects as Fiat, The Daiei Inc. and the Mexico Olympic Games of 1968. An unrivaled resource for graphic designers, advertisers and branding specialists, Logo Modernism is equally fascinating to anyone interested in social, cultural and corporate history, and in the sheer persuasive power of image and form.

The author

Jens Müller was born in Koblenz, Germany, in 1982 and studied graphic design. Recipient of numerous national and international design awards, Müller is the creative director of Vista Design Studio in Düsseldorf, editor of the A5 book series on graphic design history, and author of Logo Modernism. He is a visiting lecturer at the Peter Behrens School of Arts in Düsseldorf and at the design department of the Dortmund University of Applied Sciences and Arts.

The contributing author

R. Roger Remington is Vignelli Distinguished Professor of Design at the Vignelli Center for Design Studies, Rochester Institute of Technology, New York. He has lectured and written extensively on the history of graphic design, including Nine Pioneers in American Graphic Design and Design and Science: The Life and Work of Will Burtin. He has been recognized by the RIT Eisenhart Award for Outstanding Teaching and the Trustees Lifetime Achievement Award for Scholarship in Graphic Design. 

Hardcover, 9.7 x 14.6 in., 432 pages