Known by his pseudonym Zero, Hans Schleger was a pivotal figure in the history of modern graphic design. His nom-de-plume sug-gests his devotion to the Bauhaus principle of reduction, a design of simple unadorned essentials. Indeed, Schleger pioneered the concept of corporate identity, the task of distilling a company down to its visual essence. Coming to New York in 1924, Schleger was one of a handful of European émigré artists and designers who brought modernism to American advertising. After a brief return to Berlin, he emigrated to England in the wake of Hitler's rise to power. His work, first for the War Office and then in advertising, demonstrates his skill at combin-ing photography, line, and type in humorous, sometimes surreal, and always ingenious ways. With a foreword by legendary designer Paul Rand, Zero is the first comprehensive survey of Hans Schleger's work and includes draw-ing, painting, and photography, as well as the graphic design work for which he is best known: posters, symbols, advertising and corpo-rate design, and packaging. Beautifully designed and printed, Zero is itself essential reading for any designer.
