words form language

Bolivian-born Swiss poet, writer and publisher Eugen Gomringer (*1925) is often described as the father of concrete poetry. He was an active figure in Switzerlands post-war design and art scene and was a voice of poetry at the intersection of literature, art and design. From 1953 onwards, together with Dieter Roth and Marcel Wyss, Gomringer co-published the artists magazine spirale, that formed the starting point for his form of poetry. From an early stage, Gomringer wanted to blur the boundaries of poetry and the language of advertising. Throughout his entire career he remained an advocate of interdisciplinarity, collaborating actively with artists and graphic designers such as Max Bill, Karl Gerstner, Anton Stankowski and above all the Zurich-based design studio E + U Hiestand. This publication was created following extensive research in archives in Switzerland and Germany. The book combines original images and selected works from Gomringers long-standing collaborations as art director and copy-writer for various companies. It also contains the theoretical essay vom vers zur konstellation (from verse to constellation), Gomringers original manifesto published in 1954.

Simon Mager ist ein deutscher Grafikdesigner, der in Lausanne lebt und arbeitet. Er schloss sein Studium an der ECAL / Universität fu¨r Kunst und Design in Lausanne mit einem Master in Art Direction ab und arbeitet dort weiterhin als Lehrassistent und Gastdozent. Seit 2016 leitet er zusammen mit Leonardo Azzolini das kollaborative Designstudio Omnigroup. Sie arbeiten im Bereich Schrift- und Grafikdesign fu¨r internationale Kunden und sind in Forschung und Lehre tätig. 2017 gewann das Studio den Swiss Design Award. 2019 wurde Simon Mager mit dem Josef Mu¨ller-Brockmann Förderpreis ausgezeichnet.