Christo Julivan
1945 - 1985
Content History
Characteristic of Style
The Artist
Max Bill Armin Hofmann Richard Paul Lohse Josef MĂźller-Brockmann Emil Ruder
The International Typographic Style, also known as the Swiss Style, is a graphic design style developed in Switzerland in the 1950s that emphasizes cleanliness, readability and objectivity. Hallmarks of the style are asymmetric layouts, use of a grid, sans-serif typefaces
like Akzidenz Grotesk, and flush left, ragged right text. The style is also associated with a preference for photography in place of illustrations or drawings. Many of the early International Typo- sign element in addition to graphic Style works featured its use in text, and it is for typography as a primary de- this that the style is named
The International Typographic Style as known as Swiss International Style
Two major Swiss design schools are responsible for the early years of International Typographic Style. A graphic design technique based on grid-work that began in the 19th century became inspiration for modifying the foundational course at the School of Design in 1908. Shortly thereafter, in 1918 Ernst Keller became a professor at the Zurich School of the Applied Arts (Kunstgewerbeschule) and began developing a graphic
HISTORY design and typography course. He did not teach a specific style to his students, rather he taught a philosophy of style that dictated “the solution to the design problem should emerge from its content. Keller’s work uses simple geometric forms, vibrant colors and evocative imagery to further elucidate the meaning behind each design. Other early pioneers include Théo Ballmer and Max Bill.
The 1950s saw the distillation of International Typographic Style elements into san-serif font families such as Univers. Univers paved the way for Max Miedinger and collaborator Edouard Hoffman to create the font Neue Haas Grotesk, more commonly known as Helvetica. The movement began to coalesce after a periodical publication began in 1959 titled New Graphic Design, which was edited by several influential designers who played major roles in the development
of International Typographic Style. The format of the journal represented many of the important elements of the style--visually demonstrating the content—and was published internationally, thus spreading the movement beyond Switzerland’s borders. One of the editors, Josef Müller-Brockmann, “sought an absolute and universal form of graphic expression through objective and impersonal presentation, communicating to the audience without the interference of the designer’s subjective feelings or propagandistic techniques of persuasion.” Many of Müller-Brockmann’s feature large photographs as objective symbols meant to convey his ideas in particularly clear and powerful ways.
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CHARAC TERIST OF ST Each design ternational Style in mind mathematical a grid is the
done with InTypographic begins with a grid, because “most legible
and harmonious means for structuring information.” Text is then applied, most often aligned flush left, ragged right. Fonts chosen for the text are sans serif, a type style believed to “[express] the spirit of a more progressive age” by early design-
ers in the movement. Objective photography is another design element meant to present information clearly, and without any of the persuading influences of propaganda or commercial advertising. Such a strong focus on order and clarity is drawn from early pioneers of the movement believing that design is a “socially useful and important activity... the designers define their roles not as artists but as objective conduites for spreading important information between components of society.”
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MAX BILL Max Bill (22 December 1908 – 9 December 1994) was a Swiss architect, artist, painter, typeface designer, industrial designer and graphic designer.
ARMIN HOFMANN
Armin Hofmann (HonRDI) (born June 29, 1920) is a Swiss graphic designer. He began his career in 1947 as a teacher at the Allgemeine Gewerbeschule Basel School of Art and Crafts at the age of twenty-six.
RICHARD PAUL LOHSE Richard Paul Lohse (September 13, 1902, Zurich - September 16, 1988, Zurich) was a Swiss painter and graphic artist and one of the main representatives of the concrete and constructive art movements.
JOSEF MULLER BROCK MAN Josef Müller-Brockmann, (May 9, 1914 in Rapperswil – August 30, 1996), was a Swiss graphic designer and teacher.
EMIL RUDER Emil Ruder (1914– 1970) was a Swiss typographer and graphic designer, who with Armin Hofmann joined the faculty of the Schule für Gestaltung Basel (Basel School of Design).
POCKET BOOK ABOUT
SWISS INTERNA TIONAL STYLE