Spotlight on Design

Bruno Munari (1907–1998) is seen as one of the most notable, experimental and eclectic Italian artists/designers of the 20th Century. His principles and beliefs were built upon his early involvement in the Futurist movement, which he joined at the age of 19 using the pseudonym 'Bum'. During the 1930s, Munari began to move towards Constructivism, particularly with his kinetic sculptures titled, ‘Useless Machines’ (1933), which were meant to transform or complicate their surrounding environments. After World War II, Munari also developed radical innovations in graphic design, typography and of course publishing, through the latter creating pieces he would term ‘Unreadable Books’.

Anyone that is a regular browser on Counter-Print will know that we are huge fans of his work. He’s the book designer’s book designer and contributed fundamentally to many fields of the visual arts, as well as publishing. What was always is in common with his work, however, is a wonderful sense of experimentation.

In his book ‘Alla faccia’, Bruno Munari created countless faces through different types of 'signs’. Each is different, yet they are all recognisable, demonstrating how a single concept can be infinitely expressed.

The designer was specifically concerned with finding how many ways and with what techniques the he could produce variations on the human face, as seen from the front.

Munari explained this experiment in ‘Design is Art’, describing how it can be related to graphic design as a wider practice. He explains that such a wide exploration can, ‘help the graphic designer find the image best adapted to a given theme’. According to Munari, ‘each image and technique has precise qualities of its own and transmits a certain message – a graphic symbol for a cosmetic cannot be the same as one for coal’.

This willingness to experiment and push a single theme to the limits of its elasticity is something that I’m sure will resonate with many creative people working today and certainly still represents the working practice of the contemporary logo designer – one who, as Munari says, ‘usually makes hundreds of small drawings and then picks one of them’.

It was with great delight that we heard these experimental faces were being officially reproduced in fine art print form for the first time. As such, we naturally had to add them to the site.

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As well as being the designer of some of our favourite children’s books, such as ‘The Apple and the Butterfly and his ‘Drawing Paper’ series, Italian-born Enzo Mari is perhaps best known for his work across the fields of furniture and product design.

Enzo Mari (born 1932) is one of Italy's most significant designers. His work draws inspiration from both the idealism of the arts and crafts movement and from his political convictions. Mari trained at the Brera Academy in Milan, graduating in 1956. He studied decorative arts before moving into industrial and furniture design. Since that time he has produced a body of work characterised by an elegant functionalism and an experimentation with the aesthetics of shape. His work is much celebrated, having been displayed in a variety of art and design museums worldwide, including the Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna in Rome, the New York Museum of Modern Art and the Paris Louvre.

One of Mari’s most notable long-term partnerships is with the Italian design label Danese. The label was launched in Milan in 1957 by Bruno Danese and Jacqueline Vodoz and became known for producing contemporary pieces that fused together the language of graphics, photography and the visual arts. It created both small and large scale furniture and accessories for homes, offices and schools. Environmentally sound workplaces, materials and finished products are at the heart of its philosophy.

The ‘Formosa’ wall calendar is one of Mari’s most celebrated designs for Danese. The piece has become a real classic and was designed by Mari in 1963. ‘Formosa’ is a perpetual calendar and thanks to its timeless look is still an essential object for the home and office. The piece is incredibly graphic and displays a smart design that combines both visibility and easy use. Numbers, months and days of the week have been printed on metal slabs that are suspended on a support. You can turn them by hand, day after day, in order to form the correct date. This calendar is not limited to one specific year – it will show the day of the week for any date, whatever year it is.

A clever design combining ease of use and visibility, the Formosa is a great example of the form & function associated with Mari's design work and is included in museum collections around the world.

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