Biography
1950 born in Berlin
Graphic designer, author, editor
Graphic designer, author, editor
Studied at Kunsthochschule Berlin Weissensee
1982 diploma as graphic designer
1982 diploma as graphic designer
Since 1983 in Berlin Works freelance as a designer, stage designer and author
First book »Ruth Berlau – Photographer with Brecht«, 2003, non fiction, Propylaen Publisher
Since then works as author and editor.
Since then works as author and editor.
Copeland Fellowship with the German Department
2005 at Amherst College, Massachusetts
Lectures at the Center for Creative Writing at UMass, Amherst
Lectures at the Center for Creative Writing at UMass, Amherst
Since 2006 Teacher for graphic design at Ostkreuzschule
2013 – 2017 Lecturer for history of design and design theory at Vitruvius University of Applied Science, Leipzig
Guest lecturer 2014 at CalArts, at CSULB, Long Beach and at Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles
Grischa Meyer
The focus of my teaching is on book design. Many printed matters are so poorly designed because they are designed indecisively. Indecisiveness, superficiality, ignorance and indifference in terms of the needs of craft are always visible in the end product. To make a good book means to make decisions. Naturally, in the case of the photo book the strict editing of pictures is paramount. The next question is about text. A book without text is only an album! Firstly you need to decide for whom the book will be made. The concepts of an author or photographer must be presented in a way that the reader/viewer can understand and enjoy. That is the whole purpose of doing a book. And this is why we need design. Design is a language and has – like every language – terms and rules that can be learnt and understood.
»He who begins with the idea of making a fine book is beginning from the wrong point and aiming for the wrong goal. He should rather be anxious to make a book good. If he manages to achieve this (which is never certain!) then it may turn out that he made a fine book after all«. Huib van Krimpen (1917 – 2002)
Lectures
More information about the coming up fall lectures held by Grischa Meyer (starting on the 20th of septembre) here
