Vita

1922

Born Mai 13, in Ulm-Söflingen

1937

Arrest for belonging to the “Bündische Jugend”
Intensifies relationship with the Scholl family

Reads Nietzsche, Thomas von Aquin, Agustinus a. o.

1939

intensive relations with Carl Muth and Theodor Haecker

1941

Not admitted to Abitur exams due to refusal to join Hitler Youth; Abitur was later awarded.

1942

Conscripted into the Wehrmacht, deployment in Russia and France

1945

Desertion

1946

Opening of the Ulmer Volkshochschule (vh ulm), under the direction of Inge Scholl

Founding member of the vh ulm
Study of sculpture at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich, Class of Anton Hiller

Posters for vh ulm (until 1962)

1947

Founded his own studio in Ulm
Encouragement to establish “studio null”

Planning of establishing the Ulm School of Design (HfG Ulm) within the area of the vh-ulm (until 1953)

1948

Dissolution of “studio null”

First enouncement with Max Bill, later to be known as the founding director of the HfG in Zurich

Museum Ulm (until 1954): Exhibition posters, exhibition “good toys”

1950

Intensive relationship with Ilse Aichinger and Günter Eich

1952

Marriage to Inge Scholl
Travels with Günter Grzimek, Josef Albers, the Schlensag couple and Inge Scholl to Turin to visit Olivetti

1953

Birth of daughter Eva

Laying of the foundation stone at the HfG, architect Max Bill; start of provisional teaching

1954

Birth of twins Pia and Florian

Beginning of teaching activity as a lecturer for typography, zincography, and printing technology in the visual communication department (until 1968 with exception of 1964/65 and 1965/66)

City Ulm: Appearance 1100 years of Ulm
Braun AG, Kronberg, guidelines for corporate design (until 1958); development of the fair pavilion and exhibition system (until 1959)

1955

Official inauguration of the HfG buildings placed at the Oberen Kuhberg
First prize at the European Typography Competition in Innsbruck

First class at the building Oberer Kuhberg

Typography for “Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung” Düsseldorf

1956

Member of the Rector’s Council (until 1958)

1957

Grand Prix at the Milan Triennale with Hans Gugelot

Development Groupe E5 (until 1964); continued as an Office for Visual Communication

1958

Birth of son Julian

Guest Lecturer at Yale

1959

Trip to South America
Guest Lecturer in Rio de Janeiro

Curtain factory in Stuttgart, Herrenberg, appearance

1960

Birth of son Manuel

Trip to Japan

1961

Expansion of the visual communication department to include the film sector

BASF (until 1964) Colorthek, exhibition stand

1962

Acquisition of “Roter Hof” in Kisslegg

Director of the HfG (until 1964)

Deutsche Lufthansa AG Cologne: corporate design, publications, annual reports, analyses (until 1987); magazine “lufthansa’s germany“ (1981) continued by Hans Neudecker; global encyclopedia (1984–89), not realized

1964

WestLB Düsseldorf, corporate design, publications, calendar (until 1989); revision of corporate design together with Sepp Landsbek (1983-89)

1965

Bloom + Voss, Hamburg, corporate design

1967

Design commissioner for the Olympic Games in Munich (until 1972)

NOK National Olympic Committee (until 1972), corporate design and pictograms for the Olympic Games in 1972 in Munich
Baywa Munich Bavarian commodities brokerage, corporate design
Airport Frankfurt (until 1979), information system, pictograms

1968

Closure of the HfG
Easter march Ulm

1969

Death of the father
Acquisition of Rotismühle

Dresdner Bank, Frankfurt a. M. (bis 1970),
Erscheinungsbild; Informationssystem (bis 1978)

1971

Printing company Maack, corporate design; wrapping paper, vinyl records cover (1985); Rotis typeface (1988)

1972

Relocation of the family and the office to Rotis

Bayrische Rück Munich, corporate design, continued from 1982 by Hans Neudecker;
Book series “Insurance in Literature” (1972);
Exhibition “Sandmeere“ (1979), “Schatten über München” (1980), “Die andere Tradition“ (1981), “Besitzergreifung des Rasens“ (1983), “Kritik am Auto“ (realized under own management in 1984), “Wilhelm von Ockham” with Hans Neudecker (1986);
Appearance Bad Gastein (until 1974)

1973

Trip to the Negev desert in Israel, starting point for many more trips into the desert

Fair Center Nürnberg, corporate design, information system
ZDF Mainz (until 1976), Corporate design

1975

Pia dies as a result of a car accident

Trip to the USA and Moscow

BMW Munich, publications, poster series of classic cars, PR publications “BMW Edition”
Furniture study with Eberhard Stauß (1982/83)

1976

City of Memmingen (until 1980), event posters, city brochures, poster system Memminger Mile
Deutscher Raiffeisenverband e.V. Bonn, corporate design
EVS supply of energy Swabia, Stuttgart, corporate design

1977

Sütex textile composite Stuttgart, corporate design
City of Isny (until 1979), image of the city

1978

Structural expansion Rotis

Krupp Hospital Essen (until 1979), corporate design

1979

HfG-building under monumental protection

Trip to the USA

Bulthaup GmbH und Co, Aich: corporate design, continued by Hans Neudecker since 1982; Rotis Survey “The new kitchen” (1982)
SPD Bonn, appearance of the election campaign for the Council of Europe elections
Munich Airport II (until 1985), design guidelines; partnership development of the predesign with Eberhard Stauß

1980

Death of the mother

Trip to Moscow

Federal State of Hessen under the prime minister Holger Börner, corporate design, continued by Heinz-Peter Lahaye

1981

NOK exhibitions „Sport und Design” and “Top-class Sport with Sharp Pen” for the 11th Olympic Congress in Baden Baden
Severin and Siedler publishing house Berlin, corporate design, book design (until 1985)

1982

Trip to the USA
“gehen in der wüste”
“Die Küche zum Kochen”

1983

Sit-in blockade in Mutlangen against the Natodouble bombardment

1984

Beginning of an intensive relationship with Norman Forster

Trip to Japan

Project with Forster and Partners London (until 1991):
signage system HSBC Hong Kong (1984) (not realized); guidance system Metro Bilbao, light signal TV Tower Barcelona (1988) (not realised); Monography: “Norman Forster”, “Forster Associates”, “Buildings and Projects” (1989/91); Appearance Sainsbury Center; Signage Century Tower Tokyo, completed by Hansjörg Brucklacher

1985

Rotis institute for analogue studies

“innenseiten des krieges”

1986

“They have failed” – rejection of nuclear power after reactor accident Chernobyl

FSB Brakel (until 1991), appearance and book series, in collaboration with Sepp Landsbek, continued by Sepp Landsbek since 1991

1988

Development of the typeface family Rotis
Mentor of the magazine Arch+1
Beginning of an intensive relationship with Christa Wolf

“Typography”
Berlin model industrial culture

1989

Trip to Japan

Gruner + Jahr, orientation systems

1990

White Rose LMU Munich with Inge Aicher-Scholl and Franz Josef Müller

1991

Traffic accident on August 26 in Rotis; Otl Aicher dies on September 1st in Gunzburg

“die welt als entwurf”
“analog und digital”

City of Ulm, busts of Hans and Sophie Scholl; design concept for the White Rose memorial in Ulm Münsterplatz