International Typographic Style

  Théo Ballmer Auguste Théophile Ballmer was born in Basel in 1902. In the city, he trained as a draftsman and studied with Ernst Keller at the Kunstgewerbeschule in Zurich. Ballmer began working professionally as a designer for Hoffmann-La Roche in 1926. In his years with the company, Ballmer met several avant-garde contemporaries, including Hannes Meyer. In 1928, Ballmer enrolled in the Bauhaus, then under the direction of Meyer. At school, he studied photography with Walter Peterhans. Ballmer left the Bauhaus in 1930, motivated by his left-wing political beliefs. Ballmer is best known for his political poster designs, produced immediately after leaving school. The works are characterized by the use of red and black linoleum silhouettes and leftist messages. In 1931, Ballmer joined the faculty of the Allgemeine Gewerbeschule Basel, where he taught photography and design. Ballmer remained associated with the school until his death in 1965.  After 1930, Ballmer also worked for...

  Ernst Keller  Ernst Keller (1891–1968). In 1918 Keller joined the Zurich Kunstgewerbeschule (School of  Applied Art) to teach the advertising layout course and develop a professional course in design and  typography. In teaching and in his own lettering, trademark, and poster design projects, Keller established  a standard of excellence over the course of four decades. Rather than espousing a specific style, Keller  believed the solution to the design problem should emerge from its content. Fittingly, his work  encompassed diverse solutions. Rietburg Museum This poster demonstrates his interest in symbolic imagery, simplified geometric forms, expressive edges and lettering, and vibrant contrasting colors. A gentle and unassuming man, Keller initiated a climate of excellence in Swiss graphic design.

Armin Hofmann Seine berufliche Laufbahn begann er 1947 im Alter von 26 Jahren als Lehrer an der Allgemeinen Gewerbeschule Basel. Hofmann folgte Emil Ruder als Leiter der Abteilung Grafikdesign an der Schule für Gestaltung Basel und war maßgeblich an der Entwicklung des als Swiss Style bekannten Grafikstils beteiligt. Seine Lehrmethoden waren unorthodox und breit angelegt und setzten neue Standards, die in Design-Ausbildungseinrichtungen auf der ganzen Welt weithin bekannt wurden. Seine unabhängigen Einsichten als Pädagoge, gepaart mit seiner reichen und innovativen Kraft des visuellen Ausdrucks, schufen ein enorm vielfältiges Werk – Bücher, Ausstellungen, Bühnenbilder, Logos, Symbole, Typografie, Poster, Zeichensysteme und Umgebungsgrafiken. Seine Arbeit ist dafür bekannt, dass sie sich auf die grundlegenden Elemente der grafischen Form – Punkt, Linie und Form – stützt und gleichzeitig auf subtile Weise Einfachheit, Komplexität, Repräsentation und Abstraktion vermittelt. Entstanden in ...

  Emil Ruder He distinguished himself in typography by developing a holistic approach to design and teaching that consisted of philosophy, theory, and a systematic practical methodology. He expressed high aspirations for graphic design, writing that part of his function was to promote 'the good and the beautiful in word and image and lead the way to the arts' (TM, November 1952 issue). He was one of the main contributors to Swiss-style design. He taught that the purpose of typography was to communicate ideas through writing, as well as placing great importance on sans-serif typefaces. No other designer since Jan Tschichold was as committed as Ruder to the discipline of letterpress typography or wrote about it with such conviction . Typography: A Manual of Design This book is the legacy of Emil Ruder, one of the originators of Swiss Style, famous throughout the world for the use of asymmetric layouts, use of a grid, sans-serif typefaces, flush left, and ragged correct text. His ...

The International Typographic Style, also known as International Typographic Style, Swiss School or Swiss Style, is a style of graphic design, developed in Switzerland in the 1950s, and which had great strength and impact for more than two decades, even reaching to have great influence today has the characteristics emphasizing cleanliness, readability and objectivity. Hallmarks of the style are asymmetric layouts, the use of a grid, sans-serif typefaces, and left-aligned, irregular right text. The style is also associated with a preference for photography rather than illustrations or drawings. Many of the early works of the International Type Style featured typography as a primary design element in addition to its use in text, and it is for this that the style is named. The beginnings go back to De Stijl, the Bauhaus, and the fonts of the 20s and 30s. The Swiss designer's Josh Krlos, Théo Ballmer, and Max Bill, students of the Bauhaus, created the link between the beginning of cons...