Bau Magazine's radical, bold approach to cover design in the 1960s

There’s something about central Europe and graphic design, and if we needed any more proof of that, the ICA has drawn together a stunning collection of covers of Austrian architecture magazine Bau. To gives it its full title, Bau: Magazine for Architecture and Urban Planning was unusual in its glossy-magazine stylings, and fostered a brave, interdisciplinary approach to looking at the built environment; examining its relationship with politics, art and people.

The ICA show presents original issues of the magazine published between 1965 and 1970; when Austrian architects and artists including Hans Hollein, Walter Pichler, Günther Feuerstein and Oswald Oberhuber, took over its editorship. The imagery is beautiful, eschewing traditional bricks and mortar shots for bold art direction and diverse typography that look more akin to stylised zines or fashion pages; creating a playful, punk approach that’s utterly irresistible.

Everything is Architecture: Bau Magazine from the 60s and 70s runs from 29 July – 27 September at the ICA