Herbert Bayer: Inspiration and Process in Design

Herbert Bayer (1900–1985) was one of the most influential graphic designers of the twentieth century, with a prolific career spanning more than six decades and two continents. As a student and teacher at the Bauhaus, he used geometry, photomontage, functional analysis, and simplified typography to forge a new approach to graphic design. This book explores the evolution of Bayer's design process, from his student works featuring hand lettering to mechanically printed typography and hyperreal photo illustrations. The poetic and striking works are drawn from the Merrill C. Berman Collection and the collection of Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, among others. Many have never been published before or appear in color for the first time here.

Ellen Lupton is curator of contemporary design at Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum in New York City and director of the Graphic Design MFA program at Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) in Baltimore. An author of numerous books and articles on design, she is a public-minded critic, frequent lecturer, and AIGA Gold Medalist.