 |
 |
|
| 1914 |
Born on May 9 in Rapperswil, Switzerland.
Childhood in Rapperswil, Schmerikon and Uznach. |
|
|
| 1930 |
Completed secondary school in Rapperswil.
Started appreticeship as a graphic designer in Zurich. |
|
|
| 1932 |
Broke off apprenticeship and audited courses by Ernst
Keller and Alfred Willimann at the Zurich School of Arts and Crafts. |
|
|
| 1934 |
Work as a freelance designer and illustrator in Zurich. |
|
|
| 1937 |
Member of the Swiss Werkbund. |
|
|
| 1938 |
Designed the pavilion of honor for the Swiss universities
and the "Physics and Medicine" and "History of Swiss Art" sections for the
1939 National Fair. |
|
|
| 1939-45 |
Active service as a lieutenant in the Swiss army. |
|
|
| 1943 |
Married violinist Verena Brockmann.
Assumed the name Josef Muller-Brockmann. |
|
|
| 1944 |
Birth of son Andreas |
|
|
| 1945 |
After the war continued to work as a designer, concentrating
on exhibition design and illustration. Worked as a set designer for various
theatres in Switzerland and abroad. |
|
|
| 1950 |
Gradual move away from illustration to objective-constructive
design.
First typographical posters for the Tonhalle.
Friendship with Samuel Hirschi, secretary of the Tonhalle, led to years
of collaborative work (until 1972) |
|
|
| 1951 |
Member of the Alliance Graphique Internationale. |
|
|
| 1952-53 |
Left the theatre to concentrate on graphic design.
Expanded his studio.
First poster successes with "Watch that Child!" for the Swiss Automobile
Club and poster series for the Zurich Tonhalle. |
|
|
| 1956 |
Spoke at the International Design Conference in Aspen,
Colorado. Traveled to Mexico, spent some time in New York. |
|
|
| 1957 |
Appointed graphic design teacher at the Zurich School
of Arts and Krafts. Successor to Ernst Keller. |
|
|
| 1958 |
Founded the magazine "New Graphic Design" with Richard
Paul Lohse, Hans Neuburg and Carlo Vivarelli (18 issues appeared through
1965, published by Verlag Otto Walter, Olten). |
|
|
| 1960 |
Left the Zurich School of Arts and Crafts.
Spoke at the World Design Conference in Tokyo. |
|
|
| 1961 |
Published: "The Graphic Artist and his Design Problems."
Visiting lecturer at design schools in Tokyo and Osaka.
Returned to Europe by sea. |
|
|
| 1962 |
Advisor and designer for Rosenthal-Porzellanwerke, Selb,
Germany, and consultant and designer for Max Weishaupt GmbH, Schwendi, Germany. |
|
|
| 1963 |
Visiting lecturer at the Institute of Design in Ulm. |
|
|
| 1964 |
Verena Brockmann killed in an accident. Several pieces
of new music commissioned in her honor. Designed the "Education, Science
and Research" section for the 1964 Swiss National Fair. |
|
|
| 1965 |
Founded "Galerie 58" in Rapperswil with Eugen and Kurt
Federer. Renamed "galerie seestrasse" in 1974 and run by Brockmann alone
until 1990. |
|
|
| 1967 |
Appointed consultant to IBM Europe (until 1988). Founded
the Muller-Brockmann & Co advertising agency with three other partners.
Advertising and design work for industrial, commercial and cultural clients.
Married artist Shizuko Yoshikawa. |
|
|
| 1971 |
Published two books "Geschichte der visuellen Kommunikation"
(A History of Visual Communication). "Geschichte des Plakats" (A History
of the Poster), co-author Shizuko Yoshikawa. |
|
|
| 1974 |
Produced a sculpture for the Interkantonales Technikum
in Rapperswil. |
|
|
| 1976 |
The partners in Muller-Brockmann & Co. split up. MB continues
with the agency until 1984. Consultancy and design work for clients include
Olivetti, Swiss Railways, "Transatlantik" magazine, Swiss Institute for
Art Research, and Kunsthaus Zurich. |
|
|
| 1978-83 |
Jury member for the German "Gute Form" prize, Darmstadt. |
|
|
| 1981 |
Published "Grid Systems in Graphic Design." |
|
|
| 1985 |
Worked on the exhibition "Sprache der Geometrie heute
- Suprematismus, De Stijl und Umkreis" (The Language of Geometry Today -
Suprematism, De Stijl and their Circles) in the Kunstmuseum, Bern. |
|
|
| 1985 |
Won the Brunel Award |
|
|
| 1986-93 |
Touring exhibition of posters in North, Central, and
South America. |
|
|
| 1987 |
Awarded the Gold Medal of the Canton of Zurich.
Won the Brunel Award |
|
|
| 1988 |
Nominated "Honourable Royal Designer for Industry" by
the Royal Academy of Art, London. |
|
|
| 1989 |
Published "Fotoplakate - Von den Anfangen bis zur Gegenwart"
(Photographic Posters - From their Origins to the Present Day), co-author
Karl Wobmann |
|
|
| 1990 |
Awarded the Middleton Award of the American Center for
Design, Chicago |
|
|
| 1990-91 |
Lecture tour of the USA and Colombia |
|
|
| 1993 |
Death of son Andreas. |
|
|
| 1993 |
SBB (Swiss Railways) project awarded the Swiss Design
Prize. Traveled to Japan and Israel. |
|
|
| 1994 |
Touring poster exhibition in eastern Germany, including
work by Shizuko Yoshikawa. Euro-Design Award, Ostend, Belgium.
Won the Brunel Award |
|
|
| 1995 |
Trip to Beijing via Kashgar, following the ancient silk
route. Paper presented at the International Graphic Design Conference, Cancun,
Mexico. Second journey through Mexico, visiting ancient sites. |
|
|
| 1996 |
STD-lecture at the Royal Institute for British
Architecture, London.
Honorary Member of the Brno Biennale.
Honorary Member of the Russian Academy of Graphic Design, Moscow. |
|
|
| 1996 |
Died in Zurich, August 30. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|