wiedler.ch

book (design) story #413

susanne kappeler:
carlo vivarelli

abc verlag, zürich, 1988
printer: offset + buchdruck ag, zürich
size: 29 x 22 cm
designer: siegfried odermatt

carlo vivarelli (1919-1986) was a swiss constructive artist/graphic designer who had been co-editor of the legendary "neue grafik" magazine, together with lohse, neuburg and müller-brockmann (see story 260).

this monograph by art historian susanne kappeler covers vivarelli's sculptures, paintings as well as his grahic design work.

the text is in three languages – interestingly set in a different typeface for each language: ...

futura for german, bodoni for french, and gill sans for english.

this typographic feature is a speciality of zürich-based designer siegfried odermatt (*1926), as we will see in story 415, too.

below vivarelli's famous design for "neue grafik".

his painting was influeced by richard paul lohse: strictly orthogonal strutures based on mathematical proportions and complementary colour contrasts.

vivarelli's concrete sculptures are in a similar vein.