Josef Müller-Brockmann is considered one of the best-known representatives of Swiss graphic design. In addition to his extensive creative work, he left behind an ideological body of work, which he taught at the Kunstgewerbeschule in Zurich between 1957 and 1960. An extensive analysis of his teaching led to the question of how the graphic design education of the future could be influenced by the adaptation of historical design principles. A “research journey” as a designer about designers. What does it mean to do research in the field of design history as a graphic designer? Bachelor, Master, Doctorate – A (My) career path?
Lena Koop studied design at the Technical University of Nuremberg. Thinking beyond disciplines has always been part of her work; for example, she was not only graphic designer for her bachelor thesis, but also editor and publisher. During her three years as a freelance graphic designer in a Nuremberg office collective, she devoted herself to two extensive book publications, as well as several corporate design and editorial design projects in cultural, economic and educational contexts. With a research-oriented master’s degree at the Zurich University of the Arts in 2016 /2017, she dealt with a previously unexplored topic: Josef Müller-Brockmann’s teaching activities. She received scholarships from the German Academic Exchange Service and the Zurich University of the Arts. In 2017 she also became an Associate Researcher member of the Swiss Graphic Design and Typography Revisited Synergia project. In cooperation with the Museum für Gestaltung Zürich, a research thesis and an extensive anthology were produced, which have sharpened her own view of teaching for the future.
