Niklaus is driven by an untiring curiosity to discover new things. To hear with his eyes, and see with
his ears. He pays as much attention to sensory perceptions as he does to objective design criteria. In
particular, his attention is captured by colours, their interrelationship and their effect. Once a
drawing is done, he lays it aside – like a jazz musician never goes back on the solo he just played.
Timing is important. The way he sees it, you can also work on a poster for too long. That’s
characteristic of his approach: he prefers to go with the flow and look forward rather than break his
time into pieces and remain in one place.
Niklaus writes jazz history with his festival, which has become a household name in the jazz community.
And as far as graphic artists are concerned his posters are design milestones. Although surprisingly few
people actually know that he is responsible for both feats. Generally speaking, the worlds in which
Niklaus has put down such firm roots only see each other from a distance. But in his practice, they are
able to enrich and stimulate each other – in the most natural possible way.
A living work. For me, Niklaus is someone who draws inspiration from all over the place, tries out all
sorts of things, and also takes a lot of risks. And always in his own, signature style.
Notes will appear here