Armin Hofmann created wall reliefs, glass paintings, floor tiles and mosaics, acoustic walls, and other sculptural pieces. However, his teaching and his posters make up the most important part of his work.

He studied at the Zurich School of Applied Arts from 1937 to 1939 and then trained as a lithographer in Winterthur until 1948. Between 1943 and 1948, he also worked as a lithographer, from 1948 even in his own studio in Basel.

Hofmann taught at the “Basler Gewerbeschule” between 1946 and 1986. In 1972, he became head of the graphic design department, and from 1986, he led the further education course for visual communication at the “Schule für Gestaltung.”

In 1955, he taught at the Philadelphia College of Art and shortly afterwards went to Yale University, where he played an important role until he retired in 1991. During this time, he repeatedly held guest lectureships at American universities and at the National Institute of Design in Ahmedabad, India.

He wrote his book “Graphic Design Manual” in 1965, which is regarded as a pioneering educational book that closed a gap in design theory. In it, Hofmann deals intensively with the fundamentals of design. He spread his teaching methods and approaches in his international guest lectureships.

Using the simplest geometric shapes such as circles or rectangles, mostly in black and white, he taught his students the basics such as composition.

“Certain things cannot be measured; you have to feel them.”

According to former students, teaching was just as important to Hofmann as his own projects. This was because he did not see his teaching as one-sided but was also open to the impulses of his students.

“Designing also means being aware of your ethical responsibility.”

Some of his students became renowned designers themselves or leaders in teaching, such as Kenneth Hiebert, April Greiman, Robert Probst, Steff Geissbühler, Hans-Ulrich Allemann, Inge Druckrey, and Dan Friedman.

Thanks to his teaching, which further developed the legacy of the Bauhaus, Armin Hofmann is considered one of the most important Swiss graphic designers with an international reputation.

Armin Hofmann is often mistakenly categorized as “Swiss-Style.” Some aspects of his visual repertoire also have similarities with the style developed by Max Bill, Richard Paul Lohse, and Josef Müller-Brockmann. These include the preference for sans serif fonts, designing on the basis of a grid, the use of typography as an essential design element, or the preference for photography instead of drawings and illustrations. There are also parallels in his radical approach to form and color.
The difference, however, lies in his attitude. Hofmann rejects anything dogmatic and contrasts this with his open way of thinking and designing. He constantly further develops himself and his work. (kl)