Poster advertising the exhibition 'Temple und Tee-haus in Japan' at the Gewerbemuseum, Basel, Switzerland. The graphic designer Armin Hofmann (born 1920 ) was a leading proponent of the International Typographic Style which emerged in Switzerland in the 1950s and went on to have a global impact on graphic design. It was a style characterised by a strong reliance on typographic elements and the use of sans serif typeface. In his posters, Hofmann uses restricted colours and forms and approaches typography as an integral part of the overall design expression - not just a means of transmitting literal information. Hofmann became well known for his work for cultural institutions in Basel and his style became synonymous with the institutions it was used to promote.