He took advantage of overlaying grids to create layouts that were harmonious yet different and fresh. In 1962, Gerstner was again commissioned to design for a magazine called Capital. His design of the issue was radical and novel, invoking criticism from some but interest from others. In November of 1955, the issue was released and Swiss graphic design was presented to the world as a development of Modernism. At this time, Gerstner was only 25, a young age to be working on advanced projects with large companies. Gerstner asked Roth to write more about Swiss graphic design in Werk, and in return, Roth gave him an entire issue of the magazine to design. The Swiss Werkbund design association also provided Gerstner with another important connection: Alfred Roth, the editor of a magazine called Werk. This was a novel idea at the time, setting Gerstner in the spotlight of graphic design.
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The aesthetics of the typography aid in the message of the advertisement by surprising the viewer and catching their attention. Below, in smaller print, it reads “if you don’t expect something out of the ordinary in a car”. One example of Integral Typography is his Citroën advertisement that read “Don’t buy this car” in large print. He was the first to use typography specifically as a means of communication. Integral Typography is the idea that the style of typography used in a certain text can help portray its message it helps bridge the gap between the word and the actual idea. Gerstner built upon the ideas of Bill to propose “Integral Typography”. He used square grids to design for companies and when creating his abstract paintings, a style that Gerstner would later pick up. Bill was a graphic designer, painter, sculptor, and architect who studied at the Bauhaus for two years. There, he met Max Bill who would later inspire his ideas about typography. During this time, Gerstner joined the Swiss Werkbund design association as one of its youngest members. Gerstner and Kutter decided to create a freelance design agency called Gerstner + Kutter. In 1949, he joined the design team at Geigy Pharmaceuticals where he met Markus Kutter, a writer. These teachings in the Swiss Style, along with his apprenticeship in Fritz Bühler’s studio, deeply influenced Gerstner’s personal style.
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Gerstner also completed a typography apprenticeship with Fritz Bühler, a graphic designer and advertiser who used an abstract style. His teachings were admired internationally for their incorporation of simplistic elements of graphic design. Hofmann was dedicated to structure and space, creating designs that advocated for social and environmental issues. There, he studied under Armin Hofmann and Emil Ruder, two highly admired teachers who helped develop the Swiss Style. Instead, at age fourteen, he attended a design program at a local pre-college called Allgemeine Gewerbschule. His dream was to become a chemist, but his parents didn’t have enough money to pay for his education. Karl Gerstner was born in Basel, Switzerland in 1930.