A Look Into Swiss Design

Page 1

SWISS DESIGN A LOOK INTO
1
A LOOK INTO SWISS DESIGN

THE MOVE TOWARDS MODERNITY

Swiss Design, also known as the International Typographic Style or Swiss Style, rose to prominence during the rise of modernity in the 20th century. With art movements such as Constructivism, the Bauhaus, and De Stijl emerging in Europe, it pushed new forms of design in the modern world.

These movements were important in the creation of Swiss Design. It laid the foundation of structure and simplicity that would promote the notion of a universal visual language which resulted in the creation of order and clarity. Though Swiss Design started in the 1920s, it was only until the 1950s where designers further developed this style in Switzerland.

2

As the advancements of Swiss Design took shape, World War II had begun. During this time, many designers fled to Switzerland as this country stayed neutral. They had the opportunity to extend their practices through education in cities such as Zürich and Basel.

3

KUNSTGEWERBESCHULE ZÜRICH

Two of the most prominent Swiss schools were the Kunstgewerbeschule Zürich and the Basel School of Design. The Kunstgewerbeschule Zürich was led by Ernst Keller in 1918. Known as the “father of Swiss Design,” he taught how “the solution was found through the content of the design.” This philosophy was a reaction to previous movements where the focus was on beauty rather than the content itself. This helped shift the narrative to being more objective and that one could appreciate the text.

The Basel School of Design was led by Emil Ruder in 1942. Leading the typography class, he rejected traditional typography in favor of establishing new rules that would fit in the modern era.

“As a master of the letterpress, Ruder knew about the importance of legibility in order for a print to communicate clearly.”

His craft in letterpress printing helped him achieve that goal with the use of sans-serif typefaces and hierarchy. This would be the basis of his teachings.

4

BASEL SCHOOL OF DESIGN

Armin Hofmann joined Emil Ruder in 1947. As a student of Keller, he learned the aspects of Swiss Design which had influenced his curriculum for the Basel School. Unlike Keller and Ruder, he encouraged his students to be more playful in their designs while still maintaining legibility and structure through the use of the grid system. In fact, this curriculum is still being taught at the Basel School today.

5
Emil Ruder showing a demonstration at the Basel School of Design.

THE STRUCTURE OF CLARITY

The complexity of Swiss Design starts with the grid system. Promoted by Josef Müller-Brockmann, the grid system was a tool used for the organization of information. Müller-Brockmann was known for his simple designs and clean use of typography. This was due to the grid system as it brought order and clarity in his work.

6 JOSEF MÜLLER-BROCKMANN

This rigid framework tackles the issue of obscurity and avoids decorative elements. It creates more focus on the content itself which results in the creation of an objective view of the design.

“Every element has its own place on the grid.”
7

With the goal of establishing legibility, designers were able to take away decorative elements in order for the focus to be on the content. Sans-serif typefaces started to become more popular as serifs were negated, leaving the typeface with just enough information to be readable.

One of the most popular typefaces during the Swiss Style movement was Helvetica. Created in 1957 by Max Miedinger and Eduard Hoffmann, Helvetica was made to be highly legible, allowing the text to be read rather than to be admired.

AAThough Helvetica was the most popular typeface in Swiss Design, other typefaces such as Univers were designed with the same intentions of creating clarity. This push for sans-serif typefaces paved the way for legibility in typography.

8

Some of the other characteristics of Swiss Design are hierarchy, photography, asymmetry, and geometric shapes.

9

The expansion of Swiss Design beyond its borders was able to happen after World War II had ended. Now known as the International Typographic Style, its influence on the world is profound.

Graphic design played a role in the industrialized world as communication was needed in order to send a message clearly. With Swiss Design, it helped maintain order, stability, and legibility in a visual manner. Armin Hofmann and Josef Müller-Brockmann were some of the designers that helped spread Swiss Design internationally.

10
Paul Rand (left) and Josef Müller-Brockmann (right) during an IBM seminar. Helmut Krone’s Volkswagen advertisement utilizing the principles of Swiss Design.

Swiss Design is still present in the 21st century where it continues to bring structure and clarity in society. This is done through the use of sans-serif typefaces and symbols. The addition of symbols create a universal language which allow people around the world to navigate seamlessly.

11

Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.