Utilitarian Design Aicherís Work Shows His Innovative Ideas Grounded in Practicality by Gary Tischler Walk down any city street or drive on any road and in a sense, youíre surrounded by the thoughts, theories and designs of Otl Aicher. Walk into the Goethe-Institut in downtown Washington and youíll see the hundreds of designs, or pictographic symbols, that Aicher created for the 1972 Munich Olympics. Youíll see his distinct "maps"óthe direct, telling, sharp symbols for individual sporting events and locations, all of them part of the exhibition "Practical Utopia: The Design Work of Otl Aicher." Youíll see two other things that connect like arching currents of electricity. Next to a picture of a smiling, genial Aicherówho died in 1991óis the quote, "Design must surrender to practical criteria." And then youíll find a sign, or rather a symbol on a door, of a projector and film reelsóthe shorthand that tells you that films are being shown beyond the door. Itís not part of the exhibition, nor is it an Aicher design, but it very well could be because it illustrates as clearly as anything Aicher did himself the subservience of design to utility. This is not t o say, however, that Aicher was the ultimate pragmatist. There is a certain tension in the phrase "Practical Utopia," and Aicherófamous for, among many things, being a German renaissance man of thought, design, vision, philosophy and writingóexemplifies that tension. This tension is also evident in his biography. Aicherís wife was the sister of Hans and Sophie Scholl, the founders of the White Rose resistance movement during World War II, an anti-Hitler activity that cost both of them their lives. Aicher and his wife founded the Ulm College of Design, which helped initiate a postwar utilitarian or pragmatic design movement where, for instance, industrial building was emphasized over architecture and visual communication was introduced in place of exhibition design. The school was a response to postwar needs in Germany and led to a kind of visual pragmatism and simplicity that was nevertheless beautiful and striking. Already famous for his logo designs for Lufthansaóthe graceful birdóand other corporate clients, Aicher is best known for his pictographic symbols and poster designs used in the 1972 Munich Olympics, which unfortunately themselves became famous after the murder of Israeli athletes by terrorists. The irony of that tragedy was probably understood by Aicher, who had approached his task for the Olympics on several fronts: the pragmatic, the idealistic and certainly the political. On the political front, Aicher and the Munich Olympic organizers wanted to erase reminders of the last German-held Olympics, the 1936 games in Berlin, often called the Nazi games. The aim with the Munich poster designs was to create a color framework that completely negated memories of aggressive nationalism. According to press materials, the colors were to be "heiter," or clearóthat is to say cheerful. Missing were the sharp black and red colors of the national flag of Germany. In fact, the posters on display at the Goethe-Institut are full of furious energy, with a kind of brilliant smudged effect showing runners, gymnasts, basketball players, fencers and other athletes in action heralded by oranges, purples, blues and greens to make them look pleasingly and explosively international. Whatís interesting is how Aicherís designs were used in later Olympic gamesó"think of matchstick men," the artist once said to collaborator Gerhard Joksch. Those men and women on restroom signs, the knives and forks for restaurants, the stripe that denotes everything from no dogs to no smoking, as well as the short-hand runners, fencers and swimmers are all part of the lexicon of our times: design in the service of pragmatics. In short, Aicher was a generous, innovative designer who thought about more than design and also taught more than design. As in any design movement, Aicher, who worked for many corporate clients with great effect, thought in terms of the larger world and what was going on out there. He heard millions moving around, doing business, going to places, doing things, and he understood that the growing world needed a recognizable, pleasing, sharp text to help it along. His friend, the great British architect Norman Foster, called his logos, designs, books and posters "cultural milestones." In truth, as Aicher would have had it, his designs go beyond culture and straight into every minute of every day. "Practical Utopia: The Design Work of Otl Aicher" runs through March 12 at the Goethe-Institut, 812 7th St., NW. For more information, please call (202) 289-1200 or visit www.goethe.de/washington. Gary Tischler is a contributing writer for The Washington Diplomat.