Design Trends

• Graphic Design has been around long before the computer…

SWISS STYLE (International Typographic Style)

• The Swiss Style of Graphic Design, as its name itself implies was developed in Switzerland during the 1950’s and became popular worldwide because of its precision, clarity, readability and typography.

• It is also known as the International Typographic Style. It became a new revolution in the world of graphic design and was instantly adopted by artists all over the world.

History and BackgroundThis style originated in Russia, Germany and the Netherlands during the 1920’s and it spread to Switzerland after the World War II.

The world-class Swiss designers improvised this design and came out with a new wave of graphic language. This was evident in not only the posters, but also was prevalent in designing train tickets, travel pamphlets, drug labels and even bank notes.

This style, otherwise known as, “Neue Grafik” encompassed a formal discipline and had a profound impact on the world of graphic design for the next three decades. It continues to inspire graphic designers even today…

Some examples of Early Neue Grafik:

The Swiss Designers, The Grid and Loving White Space…From The early Neue Grafik style posters, a group of Swiss Artists were inspired to push the style further. This group of Artists/Designers included:

Josef Mueller-Brockmann, a teacher, artist, and designer who created the Grid System and philosophy of using the grid to organize graphic elements

Armin Hoffmann

These designers were rebelling against the ornamentation and illustrative, dense design that was the popular trend at the time. The Swiss deisgners went the opposite direction

The Emergence of the Swiss Style

Grid linesGrid lines form the foundation for Swiss style design and they present a sense of uniformity to the viewers. It serves as a framework for designers to organize their information and make it more presentable to the viewers. When grids are used, it gives a defined structure to the page and makes it easy to group related information. It also gives an overall balance to the entire design and makes it appealing as well as user-friendly.

The Grid System, or Grids Are Good

Grid linesGrid lines form the foundation for Swiss style design and they present a sense of uniformity to the viewers. It serves as a framework for designers to organize their information and make it more presentable to the viewers. When grids are used, it gives a defined structure to the page and makes it easy to group related information. It also gives an overall balance to the entire design and makes it appealing as well as user-friendly.

The Grid System, or Grids Are Good

the SWISS STYLE

ELEMENTS• CLEANLINESS• READABILITY• OBJECTIVITY

• ASSYMETRICAL LAYOUTS• USE OF A GRID• SANS – SERIF TYPEFACE• FLUSH LEFT/RAGGED RIGHT TEXT

• PHOTOS IN PLACE OF ILLUSTRATIONS/DRAWINGS• TYPOGRAPHY IS THE MAIN DESIGN ELEMENT

ARMIN HOFFMANN

Born: May 9, 1914, Died: August 30, 1996, Education: University of ZurichBooks: Grid Systems in Graphic Design, Geschichte des Plakates

Josef Mueller-Brockmann

“The grid system is an aid, not a guarantee. It permits a number of possible uses and each designer can look for a solution appropriate to his personal style. But one must learn how to use the grid; it is an art that requires practice.”

http://www.thinkingform.com/2012/05/10/thinking-josef-muller-brockmann-05-09-1914/