On Armin Hofmann

I was fortunate in my senior year of college to be accepted into the Kent State University/Kunst Gewerbeschule Summer Program in Switzerland. The lead of the program, and the primary instructor was Armin Hofmann. Over the 3 month program, Armin was a teacher, an artist, and a friend. But above all else, Armin was a true inspiration.

The experience came at a time in my life, following 4 years of graphic design training, when making sense of my education and where it would lead me was still under development.

I believe that my time with Armin opened my eyes to many things, particularly design’s place in a much fragmented and crazy world. Through a study of both modern day and historical practices of art and design, students were enlightened, inspired, and taught....to see the world differently. Translating this new way of seeing and thinking became a practice that is still with me today. I have often said that Armin Hofmann “taught me to see.” During this summer program, we were also honored with classes taught by Wolfgang Weingart and Ivan Chermayeff. The benefits of exposure to Armin, Wolfgang and Ivan, were enormous.

I believe I have applied Armin’s teachings to my work throughout my own teaching and design career. I encourage taking the time to see things from multiple perspectives, and making sense of them, and thinking of the bigger picture, before designing.

The work of our studio has leaned toward the simple and clean—with clear thinking and fresh solutions. I believe that Armin was a large influence in that, particularly in our identity work.