The visual works of Otl Aicher stands out with its simplicity and yet strong identity. His works are inspiring and have shown us how design can improve the quality of an experience. Otl Aicher was a German graphic designer and typographer.
He was a man of legendary order and planning. In 1953 Aicher was a co-founder of the legendary Ulm School of Design. The school became one of Germany's leading training centers for design. Aicher was the key figure in German graphic design in the twentieth century.
Munich Olympics 1972
The graphic design of the Munich Olympics is possibly Otl Aicher’s most famous work. This project consisted of creating an identity system, the iconic posters and the highly influential imagery that set the standard for future Olympic design schemes and more generally, for future pictogram design, which should be recognized and used internationally. Nothing was left to chance. He also went through several stages with his design team before finally finding the successful emblem.
Today you will still find his iconography in a visual interpretation of the sports designs. His use of stick figures for public signage had a big influential effect on graphic design in general
Typography
You've probably encountered/ know the font Rotis. Invented In 1988 by Aicher and has been extensively used ever since . The font Rotis was named after the estate where he lived and worked from 1972 to his death in 1991 in the town of Leutkirch in Allgäu where Aicher kept his studio.
He has also designed the logo of Lufthansa, the University of Konstanz and Munich Airport; the latter consists of the letter M in a simple sans-serif font.
He had an amazing ability as a designer and creator of books. He’s writings are explorations of the world, a substantive part of his work. Aicher’s considerable written output touched on a diverse subject matter across history, politics of thought and design, building and construction, he assures us of the possibilities of arranging existence in a humane fashion.
Timeline
1922 - Otl Aicher was born
1947 - Opened his studio, Büro Aicher.
1953 - Founded the Ulm School of Design
1969 - Designed the logo of the German airline Lufthansa.
1972 - Olympics Munich designer
1980 - Otl Aicher became a consultant of the kitchen manufacturer bulthaup.
1988 - Made the font Rotis
1991 - Died in Gunzburg on September 1 after a car hit him while his mowing the grass at Rotis.
2010 - Honored of Munich and a street-OTL Aicher Straße, in the city's Borough No. 12 was named after him.