Founding & Design

I am Otl Aicher—designer, teacher, seeker. I once said, ‘There is not the maximum, but the optimum.’ For me, design was never decoration, but a language—a way to make things understandable. This was a principle I shared with my wife, Inge. She founded the Ulm Adult Education Centre (vh Ulm) in 1946 and led it for nearly three decades. Inge was all at once intelligent, courageous, and compassionate. She could challenge but also provide support. She had visions—and the ability to inspire people. Together, we created spaces where people could think, speak, debate—and where new ideas could emerge. These places were meant to be noticed. Education for us was never a luxury, but a stance—a matter of responsibility. I designed the visual identity of vh Ulm. My task was clear: make content visible—direct, honest, and unadorned. Design had to speak clearly, understandably, and with a human touch. We did not want a rigid institution, but a living space for democratic thinking and modern design. In 1953, Inge and I, together with Max Bill, founded the School of Design (Hochschule für Gestaltung, HfG) on Ulm’s Kuhberg. This gave rise to the Ulm School—rational, critical, yet deeply idealistic. We worked for Lufthansa, Braun, Sparkasse, Olivetti, Kodak, Siemens. The visual identity for the 1972 Munich Olympic Games brought me fame, but what mattered most was always the idea behind it—clarity, guidance, meaning. ‘Design is attitude’—design is part of our democracy. Those who design think, act, question—and bear responsibility for how our world looks. That is why I never compromised on clarity.