{"id":14408,"date":"2025-09-15T16:30:49","date_gmt":"2025-09-15T09:30:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cstc.vn\/blogtsk\/an-amazing-strategist-the-design-legacy-of-otl-aicher\/"},"modified":"2025-09-15T16:30:49","modified_gmt":"2025-09-15T09:30:49","slug":"an-amazing-strategist-the-design-legacy-of-otl-aicher","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cstc.vn\/blogtsk\/an-amazing-strategist-the-design-legacy-of-otl-aicher\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cAn amazing strategist\u201d \u2013 the design legacy of Otl Aicher"},"content":{"rendered":"

In 2006, Benji Wiedemann joined forces with Alex Lampe to open their new design consultancy, that would later become Wiedemann Lampe<\/a>.<\/p>\n

He found, running his own business, he was more in control of his own schedule. And that gave him time to indulge his new passion \u2013 hunting down examples of designer Otl Aicher\u2019s work on eBay.<\/p>\n

Posters featured in Otl Aicher: The Legacy Archive at Wiedemann Lampe<\/p>\n

Drawn to Aicher\u2019s work, which included identities for Braun, Erco, Lufthansa and the Munich 1972 summer Olympics, it was a bit of a homecoming for Wiedemann.<\/p>\n

He had spurned his native German culture when he first moved to the UK to study. But as his taste in music and design had \u201cmatured\u201d he found himself returning to work that felt \u201ctrue to him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is so beautiful about Aicher, he\u2019s incredibly analytical, while also being an artist at heart,\u201d Wiedemann says. But, compared to other names of 20th Century design, Aicher\u2019s works could also be snapped up for a few Euros. \u201cFor me, that entry point is thrilling,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n

Almost 20 years later, having built relationships with collectors Bernd Brandt and Stefan Haberl, and made visits to Aicher\u2019s former studio in Rotis, Wiedemann Lampe has now been entrusted with the Aicher archive, from which the new LDF show<\/a> has been curated.<\/p>\n

The Rainbow Olympics<\/h5>\n

Much of what Wiedemann found on eBay were posters and ephemera from the 1972 Munich Olympics.<\/p>\n

Arguably the project he is best-known for today, Aicher led a large and capable design team to produce an identity remembered for its colour \u2013 it was dubbed the Rainbow Games \u2013 as well as its innovative sporting pictograms, and its breadth and detail, consistent and considered across the enormous scope of its output.<\/p>\n

The designer Jack Renwick<\/a> first came across Aicher\u2019s work via one of these posters in the local gymnastics club she attended as a child.<\/p>\n

\u201cI remember seeing it \u2013 not having a clue that people design these things \u2013 and having such a motivating feeling to it,\u201d Renwick remembers. \u201cIt was just so striking on this wall, and I looked a bit like that gymnast with short brown hair. I thought, \u2018God, I could be her\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

Renwick did not become an Olympic gymnast, but did end up following in Aicher\u2019s design footsteps. She remembers at art school realising that Aicher was the person who designed that poster she had loved as a youngster, and being \u201cblown away by this whole epic identity system\u201d she discovered.<\/p>\n

While the visual output of Aicher\u2019s work is compelling for Renwick and many others, it\u2019s the thinking behind the visuals that has been most influential.<\/p>\n

\u201cAn amazing strategist\u201d<\/h5>\n

Designer Mark Holt first became interested in Aicher\u2019s work around the same time as co-founding studio 8vo in the early 1980s. Pushing against the British design scheme of the time, he found in Aicher\u2019s work a similar ideology he says, where design was \u201ca conscious, reasoned act, an objective one, never to be aesthetically-led.\u201d<\/p>\n

Holt, who in 2019 published Munich \u201972 The Visual Output of Otl Aicher\u2019s Dept.XI<\/em>, explains that many of the celebrated design elements were the work of the other designers working for Aicher: Gerhard Joksch drew the pictograms, Elena Winschermann created the mascot Waldi the dachshund, and Rolf M\u00fcller, Aicher\u2019s deputy, was responsible for advertising and publications \u2013 as well as bringing much of \u201cthe sweetness on the eye,\u201d Holt suggests.<\/p>\n

Mark Holt\u2019s Munich \u201972 The Visual Output of Otl Aicher\u2019s Dept.XI<\/p>\n

Holt was compelled to create the book to document \u201ceasily the most far reaching brand identity, or corporate identity, as it was back then, ever produced.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Aicher to win this work at the age of 33 was evidence of the designer\u2019s persuasive vision. \u201cHe could tell very good narratives,\u201d Holt explains. \u201cHe could bring people along with him, get their empathy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Above all, Holt says, Aicher was \u201can amazing strategist.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meaning and social responsibility<\/h5>\n

Born in Germany in 1922, Aicher\u2019s outlook was shaped by his experiences of Nazi Germany. In 1946, with activist Inge Scholl, later his wife, he co-founded a school for adult education in Ulm (vh Ulm).<\/p>\n

It was built around the idea of freedom through education, and built on the White Rose resistance movement that Scholl\u2019s siblings had participated in, and been executed for.<\/p>\n

In 1953, he also set up a design school, the Hochschule f\u00fcr Gestaltung Ulm, founded with Swiss polymath Max Bill.<\/p>\n

Inspired in part by the Bauhaus, and employing designers such as Josef Albers, it carried the vh Ulm\u2019s ethos of social responsibility through a holistic design curriculum, encompassing politics, philosophy and science.<\/p>\n

From the school\u2019s visual communication department, Aicher led influential graphic design projects for clients such as Braun, (then working with new designer Dieter Rams), and Lufthansa.<\/p>\n

Posters featured in Otl Aicher: The Legacy Archive at Wiedemann Lampe<\/p>\n

It was a crucial period of rebuilding in Germany, and Aicher, \u201ctook on a very societal role \u2013 he was very much interested in design serving a purpose,\u201d Holt says. \u201cYou know, he had no time at all for embellishment.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Olympics work, \u201cdemonstrates Aicher\u2019s philosophy to understand the current state of the world and recognise a need to create a positive impact through this global opportunity,\u201d Renwick says.<\/p>\n

Alongside the great designs, she wants more people to appreciate this \u201cmoral responsibility in action\u201d that characterised Aicher\u2019s approach. As design feels the pressure from the rise of AI, she thinks we need to be thinking about, talking about, and educating new generations in developing these ways of thinking.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can just ask AI to come up with a design for you. But AI can\u2019t do the philosophical understanding of our society, and people\u2019s mindset; of why it would be creating something,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Thinking and making: a human touch<\/h5>\n

For Bob Young, creative partner at Alphabetical<\/a>, it is easy to \u201ctake for granted the complexity and visual impact of Aicher\u2019s work in modern society.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOur daily lives are oversaturated with creative imagery that are basically assimilations of each other, that feel familiar and comfortable and fit into a genre so that audiences understand precisely what they are.\u201d<\/p>\n

There was a bravery to Aicher\u2019s work, he argues. \u201cAdmittedly, many of Aicher\u2019s typographic approaches would not pass accessibility standards today.<\/p>\n

\u201cHowever, as much as you have to admire the control and clean grid systems he regularly used, there are wildly experimental type treatments that often responded to unique compositions and ideas within his work that still inspire, and may never be seen again in such wide-reaching public-facing designs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Otl Aicher: The Legacy Archive at Wiedemann Lampe, part of the London Design Festival<\/p>\n

Compared to the present day \u2013 where \u201cwe\u2019ve reached peak mock-up\u201d as Wiedemann puts it \u2013 the new show features Aicher\u2019s laboriously-made \u2018logograms,\u2019 where he would present hand-cut elements of the design system on one page.<\/p>\n

It is this human touch that Wiedemann wants to share with visitors to the exhibition.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo look at something that is so striking, so considered, it\u2019s so beautifully reduced, but it\u2019s so warm and human, for me, it\u2019s disarming,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Posters featured in Otl Aicher: The Legacy Archive at Wiedemann Lampe
\nPosters featured in Otl Aicher: The Legacy Archive at Wiedemann Lampe
\nPosters featured in Otl Aicher: The Legacy Archive at Wiedemann Lampe
\nPosters featured in Otl Aicher: The Legacy Archive at Wiedemann Lampe
\nPosters featured in Otl Aicher: The Legacy Archive at Wiedemann Lampe<\/p>\n

\nWhat to read next: <\/strong>\u201cDevaluing creativity\u201d \u2013 Should design firms ditch job titles?<\/a> | Does your design studio need (better) company values?<\/a> | Who should be the UK\u2019s chief design officer?<\/a> | Have design job ads become too specific?<\/a>\n<\/div>\n

Source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In 2006, Benji Wiedemann joined forces with Alex Lampe to open their new design consultancy, that would later become Wiedemann Lampe. He found, running his own business, he was more in control of his own … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[145],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n\u201cAn amazing strategist\u201d \u2013 the design legacy of Otl Aicher - Blog TSK<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cstc.vn\/blogtsk\/an-amazing-strategist-the-design-legacy-of-otl-aicher\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"\u201cAn amazing strategist\u201d \u2013 the design legacy of Otl Aicher - Blog TSK\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In 2006, Benji Wiedemann joined forces with Alex Lampe to open their new design consultancy, that would later become Wiedemann Lampe. He found, running his own business, he was more in control of his own …\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/cstc.vn\/blogtsk\/an-amazing-strategist-the-design-legacy-of-otl-aicher\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Blog TSK\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-09-15T09:30:49+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cstc.vn\/blogtsk\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cstc.vn\/blogtsk\/\",\"name\":\"Blog TSK\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/cstc.vn\/blogtsk\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cstc.vn\/blogtsk\/an-amazing-strategist-the-design-legacy-of-otl-aicher\/#webpage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cstc.vn\/blogtsk\/an-amazing-strategist-the-design-legacy-of-otl-aicher\/\",\"name\":\"\\u201cAn amazing strategist\\u201d \\u2013 the design legacy of Otl Aicher - Blog TSK\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cstc.vn\/blogtsk\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2025-09-15T09:30:49+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-09-15T09:30:49+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cstc.vn\/blogtsk\/an-amazing-strategist-the-design-legacy-of-otl-aicher\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/cstc.vn\/blogtsk\/an-amazing-strategist-the-design-legacy-of-otl-aicher\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cstc.vn\/blogtsk\/an-amazing-strategist-the-design-legacy-of-otl-aicher\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/cstc.vn\/blogtsk\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"\\u201cAn amazing strategist\\u201d \\u2013 the design legacy of Otl Aicher\"}]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"\u201cAn amazing strategist\u201d \u2013 the design legacy of Otl Aicher - Blog TSK","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/cstc.vn\/blogtsk\/an-amazing-strategist-the-design-legacy-of-otl-aicher\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"\u201cAn amazing strategist\u201d \u2013 the design legacy of Otl Aicher - Blog TSK","og_description":"In 2006, Benji Wiedemann joined forces with Alex Lampe to open their new design consultancy, that would later become Wiedemann Lampe. He found, running his own business, he was more in control of his own …","og_url":"https:\/\/cstc.vn\/blogtsk\/an-amazing-strategist-the-design-legacy-of-otl-aicher\/","og_site_name":"Blog TSK","article_published_time":"2025-09-15T09:30:49+00:00","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/cstc.vn\/blogtsk\/#website","url":"https:\/\/cstc.vn\/blogtsk\/","name":"Blog TSK","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/cstc.vn\/blogtsk\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/cstc.vn\/blogtsk\/an-amazing-strategist-the-design-legacy-of-otl-aicher\/#webpage","url":"https:\/\/cstc.vn\/blogtsk\/an-amazing-strategist-the-design-legacy-of-otl-aicher\/","name":"\u201cAn amazing strategist\u201d \u2013 the design legacy of Otl Aicher - Blog TSK","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/cstc.vn\/blogtsk\/#website"},"datePublished":"2025-09-15T09:30:49+00:00","dateModified":"2025-09-15T09:30:49+00:00","author":{"@id":""},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/cstc.vn\/blogtsk\/an-amazing-strategist-the-design-legacy-of-otl-aicher\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/cstc.vn\/blogtsk\/an-amazing-strategist-the-design-legacy-of-otl-aicher\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/cstc.vn\/blogtsk\/an-amazing-strategist-the-design-legacy-of-otl-aicher\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/cstc.vn\/blogtsk\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"\u201cAn amazing strategist\u201d \u2013 the design legacy of Otl Aicher"}]}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cstc.vn\/blogtsk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14408"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cstc.vn\/blogtsk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cstc.vn\/blogtsk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cstc.vn\/blogtsk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14408"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cstc.vn\/blogtsk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14408\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cstc.vn\/blogtsk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14408"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cstc.vn\/blogtsk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14408"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cstc.vn\/blogtsk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14408"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}