Here I am, in Austria. Besides the fact of having a great time in Vienna’s numerous streets, trams and shops, I haven’t even had a glimpse of its great museums and art exhibitions. Why – you ask? Because they are expensive as hell!
Still, there is enough beauty for free. History is everywhere, and even if you sometimes have to look hard to ignore all the kitsch of the last two centuries, there is enough architecture left for wondering about in more than a lifetime!
Modern things on the other hand are pretty hard to find. Class listed monuments dominate everything, the only places left in the city centre and low-numbered districts around it were used up in the 1920’s, 30’s and 50’s for the so-called Wohnbau or Gemeindebau, social housing. The simplicity and new approaches, combined with then up-to-date Art Nouveau and Bauhausstil serve up to 4.000 individuals in one complex, giving a good example of approximately ¼ of Vienna’s population relying on this kind of aid.
So what about Austrian Design? If you came to know Germany as I do, you would have expected Austria to be almost alike: Same language, same people, right? Wrong… so wrong.
For example commercials, especially those in TV are like the ones they had in Germany in the 70’s. On the opposite whit dominates large printed advertisements on the streets. They have some kind of story, make you laugh, or question your own intelligence. People can relate to them.
Everything seems to be more the kind you would expect in a smaller country, where money and straightforwardness isn’t that important. They play, do what they do, and pay the price without asking for a better. They spend the money, they through it out if there was no tomorrow. Sometimes exhausting, but still fun to do, and they live.
So this is where we come back to the task of showcasing Austrian Design. Those who have ideas, have to go abroad, and in the end come back and force them on their people. This is how Austrian Design works.
Last week I have designed several business cards and flyers, and to my surprise, they were likable. Simple style, less information than usually and clear looks.
