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Back in the 1930, Swiss graphic design was threatened, on the one hand, by the German nationalist movement and its imposing 'Heimatstil' style and on the other hand, by the prevailing American advertising style, typically illustrating American girls with a smile promoting a product.

Hence, Switzerland was seeking a way to move away from the above mentioned influences and to boost the quality of Swiss poster design.

The answer came from the Swiss Federal Department of Home Affairs, which in collaboration with the General Poster Company, decided to run the Best Poster Award for the first time in 1941. The grant would be given by the Federal Council; the most iconic posters would be publicly exhibited in all the large Swiss cities. They should, however, fulfill the following criteria: artistic value, effective advertising techniques and quality of printing techniques.

The selected posters would have to satisfy the needs of commerce as well as exhibitions, concerts, theater performances and other cultural events. Their artistic value concerned typography design, realistic representation of products, symbols and abstract photographic representations.

From the first 1941 competition up to now, more than approximately 1500 Swiss posters have been awarded for their high quality design and remarkable craftsmanship.

Vevey, Librairie La Fontaine

1990 – Pierre NEUMANN

CHF 330.–

Blau Gelb Rot

1991 – Hans KNUCHEL

CHF 540.–

Amnesty International, Tu nous manques !

1993 – Urs GRÜNIG

CHF 290.–

Theater am Gleis, Die Nase

1992 – Katrin AERNI, Ricco MEIERHOFER

CHF 130.–

OPS Divina

1991 – MIX & REMIX

CHF 330.–

La Bâtie, à bientôt!

1993 – ANONYMOUS

Musée de Carouge, Poussin

1992 – Philippe DUMARET

CHF 275.–

Wohnshop

1986 – Werner JEKER

CHF 560.–

Dagon imprimerie, Vevey

1985 – Pierre NEUMANN

CHF 470.–


Musée de l’Elysée at Lausanne in 1991

This composition of Jeker was granted by the Swiss Poster Award in 1991. It was created for three different exhibitions held simultaneously at the Musée de l’Elysée at Lausanne in 1991. Jeker designs each poster separately but they intelligently constitute a triptych. The first poster of the composition refers to the exhibition on the celebration of 70 years of the magazine “L’illustré”.

E0784_Photo.jpg

The meticulous and quite dispersed typography of Jeker which generates the word “Photo“ calls the viewers to interpret the interplay between the text and the images. Hence, Jeker also adds the sign of a question mark on the poster of “Lee Friedlander”, connoting the questioning on the urban lifestyle.

Musée de l'Elysée, Les 70 ans de l'Illustré, Lausanne

1991 – Werner JEKER

CHF 390.–

Musée de l'Elysée, Les 70 ans de l'Illustré, Lausanne

The first poster of the composition refers to the exhibition on the celebration of 70 years of the magazine “L’illustré”.

Musée de l'Elysée, HOT, Pierre Keller

1991 – Werner JEKER

CHF 240.–

Musée de l'Elysée, HOT, Pierre Keller

The one in the middle concerns the photographic exhibition of Pierre Keller on the theme of Horses “Haras de Cluny”. Hence, the viewers get an enigmatic close-up of body parts of horses.

Musée de l'Elysée, Lee Friedlander

1991 – Werner JEKER

CHF 570.–

Musée de l'Elysée, Lee Friedlander

The final one is about the photographic exhibition of “Lee Friedlander”, an American photographer and artist of the 70’s. It represents the photographer’s visual depiction of the urban and social landscape.


Armin HofmanN

Armin Hofmann is a Swiss sculptor, stage and graphic designer. His design techniques played a crucial role in the evolution of the Swiss Style. Most of his work lies mainly on the fundamental elements of graphic form; point, shape and line. This renders his posters implacable and timeless.

Hofmann’s book, Graphic Design Manual Principles and Practice, has set the ground for many other graphic artists and still functions as an artistic guide.

Stadttheater Basel

1961 – Armin HOFMANN

CHF 1330.–

Stadttheater Basel saison 1960-61

This black and white illustration summarizes the design expression and character of Hofmann guaranteeing him the Swiss Poster Award in 1961. Its abstract layout creates an ambiguity and curiosity as the viewers are driven by the Visual Gestalt of Continuation revealed by the strong vertical lines (similarity, continuity, closure and proximity). This eye grabbing effect can be seen in the representation of the violins in black and white contrast.

Stadttheater Basel, saison 60-61

1960 – Armin HOFMANN

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Stadttheater Basel

This poster is one of the most remarkable works of Hofmann that was granted the Swiss Poster Award in 1960. The layout of this illustration reflects Hoffmann’s strong sense of structure and space creating a simple and sophisticated black and white contrast. The setting of this theatrical poster captivates and heightens the viewer's visual sense.

TELL Basler freilichtspiele, Wilhelm Tell

1963 – Armin HOFMANN

Tell

Hofmann created this photographic illustration for the Tell open-air theater. The four letters of the word « Tell » give the impression that an arrow is targeting the apple. The apple is the symbol of the liberty according to the Guillaume Tell story, the legendary hero of Switzerland. The Swiss Poster Award was granted to this poster in 1963.


Werner Jeker

Werner Jeker is a Swiss graphic designer from the city of Lausanne, internationally recognized for his iconic poster design defined as simple, beautiful and eye grabbing. His design is perceived as part of the patrimony of Lausanne reflecting the cultural and commercial life of the city. The particularity of his design style derives from the utilization of the photograph as well as the meticulous elaboration of typography. Hence, Jeker calls his audience to observe and interpret the dialogue between the text and the image. Most of his artistic productions are created for the Musée de l’Elysée, the Théâtre de Vidy and the Swiss Foundation of Photography.

Musée de l'Elysée, Lucky Night, Nuit de la photo

1990 – Werner JEKER, Jacques-Henri LARTIGUE

CHF 460.–

Kunsthaus Zürich, Man Ray

1988 – Werner JEKER

CHF 630.–

Musée de l'Elysée, Ugo Mulas

1986 – Werner JEKER

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Konstruktive Grafik

1958 – Hans NEUBURG

CHF 1720.–

Hans Neuburg

Hans Neuburg is one of the pioneers of the international typography style among with Müller-Brockmann.
The Swiss Poster Award was granted to this poster in 1958. It introduces the Constructive graphic design works of Richard Paul Lohse, Neuburg and Carlo Vivarelli exhibited at the Arts and Crafts Museum of Zurich.
With this poster Neuburg expresses his advocacy for the Swiss Style, evident from its simple and minimal lines as well as its geometrical compositions.

Winterthur Kunstmuseum, Ungegenständliche Malerei in der Schweiz

1958 – Richard Paul LOHSE

CHF 1470.–

Richard Paul Lohse

Richard Paul Lohse created this poster for the exhibition of “Abstract Art in Switzerland” (Ungegenständliche Malerei in der Schweiz) at the Arts Museum in Winterthur, Switzerland.
With this poster Lohse indicates his design preference for the Swiss Style, presenting a visual gestalt of symmetry and order.

Museum für Gestaltung Zürich, Im Rückenwind

1991 – Ralph SCHRAIVOGEL

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Ralph Schraivogel Die Stipendiat

Ralph Schraivogel is a Swiss graphic designer recognized for his meticulous approach of handmade and computer based techniques. This poster verifies his sophisticated and precise layout, implementing photographic and collage layouts.
This Visual Gestalt of symmetry and order creates various in depth layouts and accentuates the interrelation between the typography and the image.


Rosmarie Tissi

Rosmarie Tissi is a distinguished Swiss designer and member of the AGI (alliance Graphice International). She has won numerous awards worldwide for her outstanding compositions and design techniques. Her works are exhibited in several museums and galleries mostly in collaboration with her studio partner S. Odermatt.

Serenaden 92, Zürich

1992 – RosMarie TISSI

CHF 420.–

Serenaden 92

Tissi created this poster for the festival “Serenaden 92” and was granted to the Swiss Poster Award in 1992.
The implementation of round geometric shapes could signify the sun and the clouds generating, hence, tension and balance are created. The choice of those dynamic and vivid colors contributes to this effect, bringing at the same time a sense of warmth to the poster. This illustration connotes Tissi’s advocacy of the Swiss International style that served as a starting point for the establishment of her unique twist in creating dynamic designs and typesetting.

Klubschule Migros, Ecole-Club, Scuola-Club Migros

1988 – RosMarie TISSI

CHF 1170.–

Ecole Migros

The Swiss Poster Award was granted to this poster in 1989. In order to fulfill the advertising needs of Club School Migros, Tissi chose to create the effective symbolic motif of steps connoting consequently its success by attending courses at the Club School Migros.
This striking composition clean typography, symbolic message and vivid colors reveals Tissi’s advocacy of the Swiss Style.


WolfGang Weingart

Wolfgang Weingart is a designer and an instructor at the Schule für Gestaltung in Basel, Switzerland. His unique design nature, led by his typographic explorations, importantly influenced the development of the international arena of typography. As an advocate of the Swiss Style, Weingart is perceived as a pioneer of the “New Wave” or “Swiss Punk Typography”. As a matter of fact, he managed to enrich with creativity and expression the Swiss International style by integrating into it the rebelliousness of Pop Art and Psychedelic designs popular in the USA.

Kunstkredit 1976/77 Kunsthalle Basel

1977 – Wolfgang WEINGART

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Kunstkredit 1976/77 Kunsthalle Basel

This illustration of Weingart was granted the Swiss Poster Award in 1977. The meticulous pictorial and textual layout of this poster reveals Weingart’s eccentric and non-conformist approach to typography. The synthesis of this abstract and chaotic collage summarizes his eagerness for experimental designs that questions visual standards and laws.

Schreibkunst 1548 to 1980, Kunst Gewerbe Museum Zürich

1980 – Wolfgang WEINGART

CHF 1170.–

Kunstgewerbemuseum Zürich

This poster, that was granted in 1980 by the Swiss Poster Award, reflects Weingart’s typographic experimentations deriving from the semantic, syntactic and pragmatic functions of typography. In comparison with Swiss typography, based on the syntactic function, with this poster Weingart expresses his interest in extending the graphic qualities of typography.


Pierre Neumann

Pierre Neumann is a Swiss graphic designer, who studied at the Fine Arts School in Lausanne, Switzerland. After his graduation he worked for a year with the famous Swiss designer from Lausanne, Werner Jeker. Later, he founded his own office. His work has been exhibited in various museums such as the MOMA, the Museum für Gestaltung, Plakat Museum and die neue Sammlung.

Musée de l'Elysée Lausanne, 19 - 39 les Années difficiles; la Suisse entre les deux guerres

1986 – Pierre NEUMANN

CHF 330.–

This poster of Neumann, created for the exhibition “The Tough Years, Switzerland in between Wars”, was granted the Swiss Poster Award in 1986. The black and white photography of a crowd of figures resonated in the general strike of the working class. Neumann puts in antithesis this black and white photography with the huge and colored typography for the year 1939 that covers a large part of the image.

Dagon imprimerie, Vevey

1985 – Pierre NEUMANN

CHF 470.–

Neumann, with this layout expresses his experimentation with typography, vivid choice colors as well as the implementation of collage textures.
The dispersed composition of typesetting reflects the Visual Gestalt theory of multi-stability (the mind seeks to avoid uncertainty) as the viewer's mind tries to find the continuity of the letters that formulate the word “Dagon“. The same principle is applied for the upside down paragraph at the left side of the illustration. This poster was granted the Swiss Poster Award in 1985.

Théâtre pour enfants de Lausanne

1987 – Pierre NEUMANN

CHF 330.–

This poster, created for the “Théâtre des enfants de Lausanne“ (Theater for kids of Lausanne), was granted the Swiss Poster Award in 1987. Among Neumann’s black and white illustrations, this vivid poster reveals his experimentation with dynamic compositions and colors. To reveal a playful and childish aura, Neumann utilizes a collage technique and places the object of a brush at the head of this black figure to represent a helmet. He also implements the visual gestalt of reification, regarding the facial composition of the black figure. Consequently he triggers the viewer's imagination as their mind tries to fill in the gaps and construct via the geometrical lines, the facial characteristics of this figure. His choice of simple and clean typography reflects his advocacy of the Swiss Style.

» All posters from the Swiss Posters Awards


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