Lecture Notes: The Legacy of Bauhaus

Introduction to Fonts and Politics

• Significance of choosing typeface historically considered a political act.
• Example: German school Bauhaus that shaped modern design.

Overview of Bauhaus

• Bauhaus: Influential 20th-century design school.
• Impact: Influenced home furniture, buildings, cities.
• Political co-option of Bauhaus ideas by commercial entities.

Bauhaus Philosophy

• Design to serve people and transform society.
• Aim: Transform German society post-WWI.
• Reaction to nationalist groups and Nazi ideologies.
• Fraktur font associated with Nazi propaganda.

Avant-Garde and Radical Design

• Avant-garde artists and designers sought new beginnings post-war.
• Creation of Bauhaus by Walter Gropius as a utopian vision.
• Experimentation across various disciplines: painting, carpentry, typography, etc.

Political Challenges and Closure

• Nazi opposition: Bauhaus seen as un-German by rejecting tradition.
• Closure: Dessau school in 1932, Berlin outpost in 1933.
• Spread of Bauhaus ideas globally by fleeing Bauhausers.

Bauhaus in America and Global Influence

• Walter Gropius' influence at Harvard University.
• Promotion of international modernist architecture.
• Bauhaus design embraced by global corporations.
• Typography's role in international advertising.

Modern Interpretation and Revival

• Continued influence of Bauhaus in modern advertisements.
• Reviving Bauhaus type experiments, e.g., Erik Spiekermann's work.
• Licensing of Bauhaus-inspired fonts by Adobe.

Bauhaus' Enduring Legacy

• Bauhaus as a revolutionary idea, not just a style.
• Advocacy for the true legacy: design as renewal and hope.
• Ongoing reinterpretation and influence of Bauhaus philosophy.