The characteristics of this style are: - Sans serif type - Asymmetrical organization of elements - Underlying grid used to structure page - Objective photography and copy used to present information in a clear, factual way (no propaganda) - Type set in flush left, ragged right, occassionally flush right ragged left
Critics of the Swiss (or International) Style complained that it was too formulaic with design solutions that all looked too much alike.
Ernst Keller poster for the Rietburg Museum undated
Théo Ballmer posters, 1928
Max Bill, book cover, 1942 and exhibition poster, 1945
Max Huber annual cover 1951
Max Huber poster for auto races 1948
Anton Stankowski trademark for Standard Electrik Lorenz AG 1953
Anton Stankowski calendar cover for Standard Electrik Lorenz AG 1957
Anton Stankowski image from Viessmann calendar 1953 (graphic representing heat transfer through a furnace)
Anton Stankowski cover for Berlin layout (visualizing the Berlin Wall) 1971
composition with lowercase u in Univers fonts, 1960
Univers, designed by Adrian Frutiger was a complete family of fonts. Univers 55 is the baseline (Roman) Fonts to the left of 55 are extended Fonts to the right of 55 are condensed Fonts above 55 are heavier in weight Fonts below 55 are lighter in weight
Adrian Frutiger Schematic diagram of 21 Univers fonts 1954
Edouard Hoffman and Max Miedinger, Helvetica typeface, 1961
Herman Zapf is a master of typography. Born in 1918 and still living, he is the designer of typefaces including: Palatino, Melior and Optima
Hermann Zapf Palatino, 1950 Melior, 1952 Optima, 1958
Hermann Zapf page from Manuale Typographicum, 1968 (graphic for quote about the power of the printed word to govern time and space)
Hermann Zapf page from Manuale Typographicum, 1968
Emil Ruder book jacket for an anthology of dada poetry (reproduced in Typography: A Manual of Design, 1967)
Fig. 18-21 Armin Hofmann, poster for the Basel theater production of Giselle 1959
Armin Hofmann, logotype for the Basel Civic Theater, 1954
Armin Hofmann, trademark for the Swiss National Exhibition, 1964
Armin Hofmann poster for Herman Miller furniture 1962
Carlo L. Vivarelli For the Elderly poster 1949
Carlo L. Vivarelli cover for New Graphic Design 2 1959
Hans Neuburg, pages from New Graphic Design 7, 1960
Hans Neuburg, pages from New Graphic Design 13, 1962 (entries for logo competition)
Josef Muller- Brockmann American Books Today catalog cover 1953
Josef Muller- Brockmann Swiss Auto Club poster 1954 the friendly hand sign protects against accidents
Josef Muller- Brockmann public awareness poster for less noise 1960
Josef Muller-Brockmann Musica Viva concert poster 1959
Josef Muller- Brockmann Der Film exhibition poster 1960
Josef Muller- Brockmann poster for an exhibition of lamps 1975
Josef Muller- Brockmann exhibition poster 1980
Siegfried Odermatt, cover for Schelling Bulletin No. 4, 1963
Siegfried Odermatt, inside pages for Schelling Bulletin No. 4, 1963
Rosemarie Tissi Univac ad 1965
During the 1960s, Rudolph DeHarak designed more than 350 book jackets for McGraw-Hill Publishing. He utilized the swiss sense of type and grid.
Rudolph DeHarak album covers, 1960s
Rudolph DeHarak book jackets for McGraw-Hill Publishers early 1960s
Rudolph DeHarak book jackets for McGraw-Hill Publishers early 1960s
Rudolph DeHarak book jackets for McGraw-Hill Publishers early 1960s
The Design Services office at MIT (Massachussetts Institute of Technology) helped to make the Swiss style prominent in the United States.
Jacqueline S. Casey announcement for the MIT Ocean Engineering program 1967
Ralph Coburn, poster for the MIT jazz band, 1972
Jacqueline S. Casey, poster for the MIT Open House, 1974
Dietmar Winkler poster for an MIT computer programming course 1969
Arnold Saks poster for Inflatable Sculpture exhibit, Jewish Museum 1968
The Swiss or International style created the perfect visual vocabulary for the upsurge in corporate design that occured during the 1960s. This was because of its legibility, visual strength and sense of order.