Synopsis
"We're not interested in what is invisible". Norm (Norm, Swiss Graphic Design, Enjoy Survive) work with the concrete. As advocates of graphic design in the narrowest sense of the word Dimitri Bruni and Manuel Krebs represent conceptual purity and systematics within the clear framework of Swiss design. Their ambitious, methodical approach manifests itself in the strict and sober reduction of pictogrammes, vector graphics, isometric depictions, products/manual instructions (though no actual product design) and typographic experiments. With official and self-created standards Norm analyse "The Things" to judge them by other than the usual criteria. They dissect, construct and evaluate a wide variety of everyday objects (telephone, car, house), decrypting the effect of three-dimensional objects in two-dimensional space. Furthermore, Norm delve into perception-sensitive, typographic experiments by testing various alphabets for their readability, e.g. Kanji, Arabic, Hebrew as well as a specially generated inventory of all possible characters, to analyse their respective (dis)advantages.