Otl Aicher’s Isny

How a German town defied the postcard mentality

Otl Aicher’s Isny celebrates the work iconic 20th century graphic designer Otl Aicher produced for the German town Isny im Allgäu. To coincide with London Design Festival, dn&co hosted an exhibition and designed a book chronicling this boundary-pushing body of work. 

What we did

Book

Otl Aicher is well known internationally for his work on the ’72 Munich Olympics, but this story remains untold to English-speaking audiences. dn&co sent a team on a road trip through southern Germany to visit Isny, the Ulm School archive and Aicher’s former home and studio in Rotis. The resulting book is more than 100 pages of original editorial content and rare works from the archive. This was the inaugural book by dn&co’s sister publishing company, Place Press. 

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Exhibition

More than 40 original posters were displayed at Ground Floor Space, dn&co’s in-house gallery — the most comprehensive exhibition of Otl Aicher’s work for Isny to be exhibited in the UK. It was covered globally by Dezeen, Monocle, Wallpaper*, Creative Review and Idea Magazine. 

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More exhibition, design & art direction and editorial

Wayfinding at the V&A

Seven miles of discovery

Wayfinding at the V&A
Here East Exhibition

Imagining the future of an Olympic legacy

Here East Exhibition
Pier 70

Made of San Francisco

Pier 70
Aparto

Student housing to be a part of

Aparto
Museum of the Home

Revealing the ways we live

Museum of the Home
Transmission

Lifestyle publication from a national icon

Transmission
Television Centre

Transforming the home of British television

Television Centre
Vinoteca

Rebranding the wine bar

Vinoteca
Ground Floor Space

Launching our own gallery

Ground Floor Space