Design Origin 

Germany

Designs in Germany Today

Germany is no stranger to utilitarian and quality designs. Owing to the Bauhaus movement which emerged in the early 20th century, the country has a well-established reputation in cultivating pioneers of the world’s modern industrial and graphic design scene. With a historical tendency to unite form with function in design, Germany is constantly producing influential and comprehensive designs that never fail to manifest excellent practicality.

 In the spirit of demonstrating the distinct visual landscapes of different cultures, viction:ary’s design reference collection Design Origin examines creative works one country at a time. Succeeding their debut edition on France, Design Origin: Germany explores contemporary design in Germany that encapsulate the country’s unrelenting emphasis on efficiency and accessibility. Profiling works from over 40 local creatives, this title showcases an array of cutting-edge projects from brand identities to set designs and everything in between.

Editor: Victionary
Specs: 185 x 250 mm, 256 pp
Format: full colour, softcover
Release date: August 2016
Language: English

PALETTE mini 03: Gold & Silver

New metallic graphics

viction:ary’s original PALETTE colour-themed series has been one of the most sought-after references for designers around the world. Each edition has formed the basis of a classic collection that continues to be relevant and reliable through the variety of compelling concepts and visuals featured. In keeping with the ever-changing demands of creative practitioners today, we are introducing the PALETTE mini series – redesigned in a convenient size for instant inspiration. Packed with style and substance like their predecessors with the addition of several new projects, they serve as instrumental and timeless sources of inspiration.

Wrappers Delight

Jonny Trunk

Wrappers Delight catalogues the amazing lifetime collection of John Townsend, a man who collected the most disposable of wrappers: sweet cigarette boxes, wax gum papers, empty bags of crisps, drink cans, rock labels, stamps, transfers, coupons, recipe cards, tickets, odd boxes, badges, cards, stickers … and more.

 A nostalgia trip through the sweet wrappers of our childhood that also serves as a cultural and historical document. Presented in alphabetical order by manufacturer, this publication containing over 500 full colour examples, is the first and only overview of the drinks and confectionery industry during this period.

With a foreword written by Jarvis Cocker.

Jonny Trunk
180 × 220 mm softback
240 pages
Published 2020

Fahrgastinformationssystem
Passenger Information System

Gestaltungshandbuch für die Schweizerischen Bundesbahnen / Design Manual for the Swiss Federal Railways

In 1980 Josef Müller-Brockmann laid the cornerstone for a uniform visual identity for the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) with his legendary Visual Information System at Train Stations and Stops. In view of Switzerland’s multilingualism, the manual proposed a signage system that largely did without language; with his functional typography, the pioneer of Swiss graphic design conceived an intuitively comprehensible signage system for use throughout the country to also guide passengers unfamiliar with the terrain to their destination with the help of pictograms. The visual concept was developed in dialogue with the SBB and still dominates the railways’ visual identity even today.

Müller-Brockmann’s manual, greatly expanded in 1992 and given the title Passenger Information System, is a prime example of a complex design project that succeeds through extreme rationality and consistency. It thus serves as a compass for designers worldwide in their daily work. 

This reprint with a complete English translation makes the manual accessible for the first time to a broader public. Andres Janser examines the project in the context of Müller-Brockmann’s conceptual work and the systematic international design for which railways everywhere were striving during the period.

Josef Müller-Brockmann