A Guide To Brilliant Poster Design by Johnson / Kingston

It all started in Lucerne back in 2006, when Ivan Weiss and Michael Kryenbühl met each other. After spending 6-months in New York due to a grant by the Swiss government after winning the Swiss Design Awards, the duo opened their own studio Johnson / Kingston by the end of 2011. It is pretty obvious that these two are a combo in graphic design, inspiring each other and pushing the envelope forward. Their posters are unique. With type being not just an element but mostly the star of their creations, Weiss and Kryenbühl expand their influence through some stunning poster design. Here they share with us their 10 step guide to their field of creativity for anyone to follow. Are you aspiring enough?

1.   Mess around, experimenting is fun. Hail to the hazard!

2.   Try to connect everything in your surroundings with the topic.

3.   Concept is nice, but be aware that beauty is a function too and graphic design is a visual exercise.

4.   Attention is the new legibility.

5.   Choose your weapons: See you in hell, Helvetica!

6.   Involve as many different tools as possible – even better if they're not meant to be used for graphic design.

7.   Take a break. Look what you see.

8.   Make sure to get into the flow for bringing it to this certain point.

9a. Work hard on the details.

9b. Work hard on the details (it always takes thrice as long as estimated).

9c. Work hard on the details (it doesn't help you to cheat yourself by a lower estimation).

10. If you're not able till the very end to tell whether it is really good or over the top, you're on the right track.