sandra james-talbot: International typographic style / Swiss style

Background

I have already written a post about The International Typographic Style at http://sandrajt.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/modernism.html when we were asked to write about one area of Modernism. This posts adds further information and also details the work of Max Huber

The International Typographic Style or Swiss Style was a graphic design movement which started in the early 1950s and continued to be the dominant style until the late 1960's. The term International Style also included architecture such as the work by Le Corbusier.

Features

The main features of International Style graphic design were:

Asymmetric layouts
Use of grids
Clear minimal design
Sans serif typeface - typefaces should never be mixed
Type always horizontal
Flush left, ragged right justification
Photos were preferred to illustration

Influences and development

In 1918 Ernst Keller, a teacher at the School of Applied Arts in Zurich started practising the beginning of what was to develop into International Style. Theo Ballmer (who was influenced by the De Stijl style), supplemented Keller's style of work and made it more grid focussed. Max Bill, an ex-Bauhaus student practised Art Concret which was a further development, based on mathematical principles.

Major designers

Max Huber (Zurich School of Arts and Crafts) added photomontage to the style in the late 40s - including layers, overprinting, and dynamic design.

Huber (1950) poster for UNESCO

Huber poster (ND)

By the 1950s Josef Müller-Brockman was the dominant designer in this style. He studied at Zurich from 1932-1934 and was influenced by the De Stijl style, Suprematism and Bauhaus. Some of his most famous work included concert posters for Zurich Town Hall and the Swiss Automobile Club. Muller-Brockmann initiated the magazine Neue Grafik, published from 1958-1965 in 18 issues.

Muller-Brockmann (1953) poster designed for the Swiss Automobile Club.

LMN (1958) Neue Grafik journal cover

Adrian Frutiger developed the first mega-family typeface in 1957 - Univers. He was also responsible for upgrading Akzidenz Grotesk to Neue Haas Grotesk in 1957 which then became Helvetica in 1960 - the most popular typeface ever.

Basel

In Basel, Switzerland, a softer interpretation of the International Style was in use. Armin Hofmann and the students he taught there made Basel an alternative home for Swiss Style. Emil Ruder also started working there in 1942. Their style was considered more whimsical, with vertical text and merging the text and image together such as in the Giselle poster (below).

Hoffman (1959) Giselle poster

Max Huber

Max Huber was born in Switzerland in 1919 (died 1992). He was educated in Switzerland and practised graphic design from 1942-1980.

Huber was education at the Zurich School of Arts and Crafts from the age of 17. He was encouraged to study the work of Tschichold, abstract art and Constructivism. Hi work at this time was very much the Swiss style - grid based, flush left ragged right, sans serif type and clear hierarchy.

Huber (1957) book cover, Einaudi

After completing a graphic design apprenticeship, at the age of 21 Huber moved to Milan in 1940 where he worked with Antonio Boggeri. It was here Huber collaborated with a vibrant group of painters, photographers, illustators and designers and the event-garde.

During WW2 he went back to Switzerland where he worked with the Alliance (a group of modern artists).

After the war, in Milan again, working with Einaudi, Huber's career took off. Huber believed that design had the power to resolve the tragedy of war and restore human values, an idea which was popular in 1950s Europe.

Huber was always a freelancer who enjoyed working directly with clients. He collaborated with the Castiglione brothers and spent much of his time with the left-wing artists and creatives based there. His poster of the Monza Grand Prix won first prize (one of those below - it is not clear which).

Huber (1957) 500 Miglia di Monza poster

Huber (1968) 1000 km di Monza

His graphic design style combined painting and photographic and he was of the avant-garde style. He was heavily influenced by Bayer and Moholy-Nagy and their utopian vision. He often mixed strips of colour with flat photography to connotate speed and dynamism. He used bold shapes and primary colours.

Huber (1951) advertisement for store

Huber was often seen as the fashionable link to Italy, and as a major protagonist of the Swiss style, he was in demand to give talks and lectures worldwide. He married a Japanese woman and spent time living in Japan.

Huber enjoyed the ideals of Futurism, which were apparent in his sports posters, such as for Monza (above).

He was known for his book covers and jazz record covers, but his legacy will be in the logo design for La Rinascente department store (1950), Coin clothing (1955) and Esselunga in 1958.