studying under hoffman

 

Having no means to earn a living with her current skills, Barbara decided to become a graphic designer. She moved to Switzerland and enrolled in the Basel Art Institute to study under Armin Hoffman, one of the leading figures in the Swiss Style movement. The first task Hoffman gave her was to paint a complete Latin alphabet in Helvetica by eye. The assignment took six months. Hoffman’s training shaped her strong ties to Helvetica, which lasted throughout her career.

[at the sea ranch] barbara stauffacher solomon painted supergraphics on the monochrome interiors: numbers, stripes, dots, and arrows, adding a layer of pop iconography within the still-sober weathered form. the combination of timelessness and whimsy, landscape form and antic decoration, made the sea ranch highly photogenic and instantly influential. —alexandra lange, architecture and design critic

Interior of the Sea Ranch Athletic Club with supergraphics on the walls

Interior of the Sea Ranch Athletic Club, with architecture by Barbara Stauffacher Solomon. Jim Alinder/Princeton Architectural Press.