Swiss Design

The International Typographic Style
Swiss Design

This graphic design style emerged in Switzerland in the 1950s with an emphasis on cleanliness and readability. The style is recognizable by its asymmetric layout, grids, sans serif typefaces and flush left, ragged right text.

Many of the early pieces of design, featured typography as the main design element, which is where the name came from. The grid was considered the “most legible and harmonious means for structuring information.” Information was meant to be presented clearly, without the influence of propaganda or commercial advertising. Order and clarity was the goal. Keen attention to detail, precision, craft skills, system of education and technical training, a high standard of printing as well as a clear refined and inventive lettering and typography were at the heart of the International Typographic Style.

Swiss style is all about using less, so instead of adding more elements to work with, they prefer to remove as much as possible. It’s very common to spot the use of font-size contrast in the works of the Swiss Style. (See below)

The initiators of the Swiss Grid Style were of the belief that the designer is a visual communicator not an artist, and that design should be grounded on universal artistic principles, and using a scientific approach should provide a well-defined solution to a problem.

The early years of the International typographic style has its roots in two swiss design schools, the school of Design and the Zurich School of the Applied Arts. The foundational course at the school of design was modified in 1908 to include a design technique based on grid work.  Ernst Keller began to teach at the other school in 1918 and developed a typography course. Led by designers Josef Müller-Brockmann at the Zurich School of Arts and Krafts and Armin Hofmann at the Basel School of Design, the style favored simplicity, legibility and objectivity.

Josef Müller-Brockman

He is one of the most well known swiss designers, influenced by Constructivism, De Stijl, Suprematism and the Bauhaus. He is most known for his poster advertisements for  the Zurich Town Hall theater productions. He taught at the Zurich School of Arts. He wrote the book Grid Systems in Graphic Design which helped to spread the knowledge about the grids thorough the world. As a graphic designer, Müller Brockmann's skills included letterpress, silkscreen, and lithography. 

Joseph Müller-Brockmann, Auto Club of Switzerland Poster, 1955

Joseph Müller-Brockmann,  Zürich Town Hall Poster, 1955

Ernst Keller’s work used simple geometric forms, vibrant colors and evocative imagery. Other early pioneers include Théo Ballmer and Max Bill.

Max Bill

Max Bill was an architect, painter, typographer, industrial designer, engineer, sculptor, educator, and graphic designer, born in Switzerland. He studied at the Bauhaus school.  Max Bill, alongside Otl Aicher, founded the Ulm School of Design in Germany, a design school initially created in the tradition of the Bauhaus and that is notable for its inclusion of semiotics.

After WW2 international trade increased and there was a need for clarity in typography and design to help these relationships progress.  The style expanded beyond Switzerland to America. The work of american designer Rudolph de Harak was heavily influenced by swiss design.