International Typographic Style

Also known as the International Typographic Style, the Swiss Style was an extension of Bauhaus principles developed mainly in Zurich and Basle in the period leading up to the Second World War. Key figures in the evolution of the Style included Ernst Keller, Theo Ballmer, Max Bill, and Max Huber, all of whom were familiar with the avant-garde ideals of De Stijl, Constructivism, and the New Typography (See Tschichold, Jan) of the interwar years. The rational characteristics of the Style were its use of sans serif typography (especially the Helvetica and Univers typefaces), text set in narrow columns with a rigid left-hand margin and unjustified right. This austere, geometrically conceived, and rational outlook was further defined by its use of photography rather than hand-drawn illustrations. Swiss neutrality during the war had allowed these design principles to develop uninterrupted and it became increasingly adopted in design-conscious circles internationally in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. Its influence was widely disseminated through the Swiss-based journal New Graphic Design (1958-65), edited by Josef Müller-Brockmann, Hans Neuburg, Carlos Vivarelli, and Richarde Lohse, and its layout was consonant with the design principles that its contributors espoused, a visual embodiment of the corporate aesthetic of many multinationals in the United States. This came under attack from a new generation of typographers identified with New Wave Design (See New Design) who sought to counter the rigidity of the Swiss Style with a more expressive, intuitive style linked to the tenets of Postmodernism. These included Wolfgang Weingart in Basle, April Greimann in the United States, Neville Brody in Britain, Studio Dumbar in Holland, and Javier Mariscal in Spain.

Akzidenz Grotesk designed in 1896 for the H. Berthold AG type foundry. The face was a hallmark of the modernist Swiss Style.

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.^{[citation needed]} 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 Typographic Style works featured typography as a primary design element in addition to its use in text, and it is for this that the style is named.^{[citation needed]}

Contents 1 See also 2 References 3 Gallery 4 External links

See also

• International style (architecture)
• Helvetica
• Max Bill
• Armin Hofmann
• Josef Müller-Brockmann
• Paul Rand
• Emil Ruder
• Jan Tschichold

References

• Fiedl, Frederich, Nicholas Ott and Bernard Stein. Typography: An Encyclopedic Survey of Type Design and Techniques Through History. Black Dog & Leventhal: 1998. ISBN 1-57912-023-7.
• Hollis, Richard. Swiss Graphic Design: The Origins and Growth of an International Style, 1920-1965. Yale University Press: 2006. ISBN 0-300-10676-9.
• Müller-Brockmann, Josef. Grid Systems in Graphic Design. Niggli: 1996. ISBN 3721201450.
• Ruder, Emil. Typography. Hastings House: 191981. ISBN 0-8038-7223-2.

Gallery

External links

• internationalposter.com - International Typographic Style

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