Discover Germany | Special Theme | Swiss Design Highlights
designmesse in Zurich. Photo: Pascal Meier, pascalmeier.net, 2016
SPECIAL THEME: SWISS DESIGN HIGHLIGHTS
More than the army knife The Hermes Baby typewriter, the potato peeler or the Swiss station clock – Swiss design has a long tradition and good design simply belongs to the Swiss lifestyle. TEXT: NANE STEINHOFF
It seems no wonder that the country continuously brings forth award-winning designers to an audience who love their pioneering work. We take a quick look at the most influential Swiss designers who inspire people even today, to find the root of Switzerland’s enthusiasm for great design. Max Bill, for example, was an architect, painter, sculptor and graphic designer and one of his most famous works was the Ulm stool, which can be used as a tray, a stool or as part of a cupboard. Today, it is still manufactured according to Max Bill’s design. Bill also influenced the Swiss typographers that brought about their own ‘Swiss Style’ in the 1950s. An outstanding example is the font Helvetica, which Max Miedinger 20 | Issue 43 | October 2016
and Eduard Hoffmann developed near Basel in 1957. Further well-known typographers are Adrian Frutiger and Josef Müller-Brockmann, for example. Other famous Swiss designers include Hannes Wettstein, who created the first lamp on a wire rope as well as the stacking chair ‘Juliette’. Design classics such as Kurt Thut’s folding cabinet or Markus and Daniel Freitag’s messenger bag are only a few of Switzerland’s many design hits. This exceptional legacy still influences Swiss designers today. Therefore, in our special theme, we showcase everything from design carpets to exclusive furniture, interior design, lamps, home accessories and much, much more to embellish your home with the finest Swiss products.
Photo: Flickr.com, Boris Bauer