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| Subject: Fred Troller, Champion of Bold Graphic Style | |
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Date Posted: October 26, 2002 7:21:50 EDT In reply to: catching up 's message, "Norbert Schultze, German Composer" on October 26, 2002 7:12:39 EDT Fred Troller, a design director who helped popularize a minimalist typographic style called Swiss New Typography in the United States in the 1960's, died on Oct. 11 at his home in Rye, N.Y. He was 71. The cause was cancer, his wife, Beatrice, said. An alternative to the decorative and ornamental graphic-design mannerisms fashionable in the 60's, the Swiss approach, influenced by the Bauhaus school of the 20's, relied on stark photographic imagery, bold sans-serif typefaces and primary colors in unfettered compositions. The object was to communicate logically, vividly and without ambiguity. Because of its straightforwardness, the style was adopted by multinational corporations that wanted uniform graphic identity systems. Mr. Troller's personal variant of the style was characterized by the manipulation of geometric forms, jarring juxtapositions of large and small types and visual puns formed from the fonts themselves. He specialized in trademarks, advertisements, annual reports and book jackets for clients like Exxon, General Electric, I.B.M., Westinghouse and Doubleday. In the 1970's he created a series of eye-catching destination posters for American Airlines that were more like stop signs than scenic tableaus. "His designs successfully combined Swiss rigorousness with American vitality," the designer Massimo Vignelli said. Mr. Troller was born in Zurich on Dec. 12, 1930. He graduated from the Zurich School of Design in 1950. He worked for the motion picture producer Louis de Rochemont before joining the Geigy Chemical Corporation in New York as design director in the mid-60's. In 1968, after leaving Geigy, he opened his own design studio, Troller Associates, in Rye, and worked on corporate design programs. In 1995, Georgia State University mounted an exhibition called "Troller Retrospective: 30 Years of Graphic Design." Mr. Troller lectured and taught extensively at major design schools and colleges, including Cooper Union, the School of Visual Arts and the Rhode Island School of Design. From 1988 to 2000 he was chairman of the division of design at Alfred University in New York. Mr. Vignelli said the real test of his teaching prowess was his success at "providing a constant supply of talented graphic designers to New York design firms." He was also a painter and sculptor, and exhibited at Grace Borgenicht Gallery in New York. One of his most significant works was a series of mask drawings prompted by the gift of an antique African mask. In addition to his wife, Mr. Troller is survived by a son, Simon, of Portchester, N.Y.; a daughter, Meret Piderman of Treviso, Italy; and three grandchildren. [ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ] |
| Subject | Author | Date |
| Derek Bell, Harpist of the Chieftains | - | October 26, 2002 7:23:41 EDT |
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