SWISS DESIGN - International Typographic Style

In the 1950s a new graphic design style emerged in Switzerland that by the 70’s, would become the predominant graphic style in the world.
Because of it’s strong reliance on typographic elements, it came to be known as the International Typographic Style.

The style was defined by 3 things;

- the use of a mathematical grid to provide an overall orderly and unified structure

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

- a preference for black and white photography instead of drawn illustrations

The overall impression was one of simplicity and rationality. It was generally tightly structured and clear and harmonious at the same time. The emphasis was on cleanliness, readability and objectivity.

The style was essentially developed at two design schools in Switzerland, one in Basel led by Armin Hofmann and Emil Ruder, and the other in Zurich under the leadership of Joseph Muller-Brockmann. All had studied with Ernst Keller at the Zurich School of Design before WWII, where the principles of the Bauhaus and Jan Tschichold’s New Typography were taught. In 1918, Ernst Keller, of the Zurich School of Arts and Crafts, created a model that would become the core of the Swiss School's experiments. Characterized by a rigid grid system, structured layout, and unjustified type, Keller's approach determined the essential tenets of contemporary typography.

The new style became widely synonymous with the "look" of many Swiss cultural institutions which used posters as advertising vehicles. Hofmann’s series for the Basel State Theater and Muller-Brockmann’s for Zurich’s Tonhalle are two of the most famous. Hofmann’s accentuation of contrasts between various design elements and Muller-Brockmann’s exploration of rhythm and tempo in visual form are high notes in the evolution of the style.

Emerging from the sensibilities of New Typography, Bauhaus, and De Stijl, the Swiss Style realized such success in large part because of the Swiss government. There was an increasingly global postwar marketplace; corporations needed international identification, and global events such as the Olympics called for universal solutions which the Typographic Style could provide. With such good teachers and proselytizers, the use of the International Typographic Style spread rapidly throughout the world.