Swiss / International

In the 1950s a new graphic design style emerged in Switzerland it would become a predominant graphic style in by the '70s.

Because of its strong reliance on typographic elements, the new style came to be known as the International Typographic Style.

Swiss International Style

Revolutionized graphic design

Began to experiment with typography and photomontage

Realized such success in large part because of the Swiss government

International Typographic Style

After World War II, designers in Switzerland and Germany codified Modernist graphic design into a cohesive movement called Swiss Design, or the International Typographic Style. These designers sought a neutral and objective approach that emphasized rational planning and de-emphasized the subjective, or individual, expression.

Swiss International Style

Emphasized cleanliness, readability, and objectivity

Hallmarks of the style are asymmetric layouts, use of a grid, and flush left, ragged right text.

The style work featured typography as a primary design element in the addition to its use in text, and it is for this that the style was named.

Designers sought out a neutral approach that emphasized rational planning and turned away from individual expression

Designers preferred photography

Created asymmetrical layouts, and embraced the prewar designers’ preference for sans-serif typefaces

What was created and why was it.

Characteristics of the Swiss International Style

1) the use of a mathematical grid to provide an overall orderly and unified structure;

2) sans serif typefaces (especially Helvetica, introduced in 1961) in a flush left and ragged right format; and

3) black and white photography in place of drawn illustration. The overall impression was simple and rational, tightly structured and serious, clear and objective, and harmonious.

Design SchoolsErnst Keller, of the Zurich School of Arts and Crafts, created a model that would become the core of the Swiss School's experiments. At the Zurich School of Design before WWII, the principles of the Bauhaus and Jan Tschichold's New Typography were taught to people like Joseph Muller-Brockmann and Armin Hofmann.

Joseph Muller-Brockmann would go on the run the Zurich School after Keller and Armin Hofman and Emil Ruder would run a school in Basel both schools still taught the principles of the Bauhaus and Jan Tschichold's just as they had learned.

Zurich School of Design

The ZHW came into being in 1998 through the merger of the Winterthur Polytechnic, the School of Economics and Business Administration Winterthur and the Zurich School for Translation and Interpretation.

The School of Design is not only rich in tradition, but is also one of the largest and most innovative educational institutions of its kind in the Swiss university of applied sciences landscape.

Basel School of Design

The Basel School of Design and its students have influenced the international GraphicDesign community since the 1960’s. Under the direction of Armin Hofmann andEmil Ruder courses for Graphic Design and Typography were developed. They wereoutstanding models for a modernist design education.

This University level institute is officially called the “The Basel School of Design” and forms together with seven other Design-and Art oriented Institutes the Academy of Art and Design Basel (HGK Basel) as aDepartment of the University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland(FHNW).

Armin Hofmann

Die Gute Form, 1954

He was also an influential educator andin 1965 he wrote the Graphic Design Manuala popular textbook in the field.

Josef Muller-Brockmann

Juni-Festwochen - June 21, 1955

After the war continued to work as a designer,concentrating on exhibition design and illustration. He worked as a set designer for various theatres in Switzerland and abroad.

Josef Muller-Brockmann

Opernhaus Zurich - Furst Igor, 1968

Founded the magazine "New Graphic Design"with Richard Paul Lohse, Hans Neuburg and Carlo Vivarelli.

Josef Muller-Brockmann

Akari (Lamp Exhibit), 1975

In 1987 he was awarded the Gold Medal of theCanton of Zurich and won the Brunel Award.

Karl Gerstner

Auch du bist liberal (You too are a liberal), 1959

Karl Gerstner is one of Switzerland's preeminent graphic designers. In 1959, he and Markus Kutter founded the agency Gerstner + Kutter,

Hans Neuberg

Konstruktive Grafik, 1958

A Porettl

La Vie est un songe, 1961

Ludwieg mies van der Rohe

(1886-1969)

He was born in Aachen, Germany, on march 27, 1886.

After training with his father, a master stonemason he moved to berlin, where he worked for Bruno Paul.In 1908 he began working for the architect Peter Behrens and he studied the architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright.

In 1927 he designed the barcelona pavilion and the pavilion has become a key reference point in both the career of mies van der rohe and 20th-century architecture as a whole. The pavilion has not only been exhaustively studied and interpreted, but it has also been a source of inspiration for the work of several generations of architects all over the world.

Massimo Vignelli

Massimo Vignelli, born in milan, he studied architecture in milan and venice.

He has a spare, essential, intellectually elegant, strong and timeless style.

Swiss graphic designer and teacher

Studied architecture

Josef Muller-Brockmann

Bibliography

1. 11 Oct. 2007 <

http://www.artandculture.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/ACLive.woa/wa/movement?id=351>.

2. 14 Oct. 2007 <http://www.internationalposter.com/style_primer/international-typographic.asp

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3. 17 Oct. 2007 <http://www.designboom.com/eng/interview/vignelli.html>.

4. 20 Oct. 2007 <http://www.zhwin.ch/en/departement-a/>.

5. 9 Oct. 2007 <http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-242773/graphic-design>.