- After the war, the International Style,
or Swiss Typography, predominated European graphic design.
It was a style that relied on order,
mathematical proportions, and a rigid grid structure.
In the same way that Dutch culture influenced De Stijl
with order and a Calvinist discipline,
Switzerland's national character
influenced the International Style.
A preference for clarity and structure
based on rigid rules led to Swiss typography.
In 1957, Josef Müller-Brockmann
began teaching typography and graphic design in Zurich.
His work was founded on strict proportional guidelines:
primarily The Golden Section.
A grid structure was used to organize elements.
Typography and visual elements
were scaled mathematically rather than intuitively.
He founded and co-edited Neue Grafik,
or the New Graphic Design Journal.
This was written in German, English, and French,
and broadened Müller-Brockmann's approach internationally.
Many of Yon Schisheld's ideas from the Bräuhaus,
influenced designers in Switzerland
such as Müller-Brockmann, Arman Hoffman,
Ernst Keller, and Max Bill.
These ideas included that typography
should be dynamic and functional.
A designer needed only a single sans-serif typeface
such as Accidents Grotesque.
A flush-left, ragged right-alignment was preferred.
The difference from Schisheld was the rigorous devotion
to The Golden Section and mathematical systems.
Some designers superimposed The Golden Section
on the camera lens so the models and objects
would line up perfectly in the frame.
The strongest work was dynamic and piercing.
Simple geometric forms were scaled
and placed with meticulous and mathematical precision.
Color was used either sparingly to highlight information,
or create a focal point, or as large color fields.
The main goal of any piece was functional.
The message should be clear and ordered
for the viewer to comprehend.
Black and white photography
was straightforward, objective, and sharp.
Existing only to serve as the composition and message.
From the success of Müller-Brockmann's Journal:
Neue Grafik, the Swiss style moved into the rest of Europe
and crossed the Atlantic to America.
Antonio Baggeri founded Studio Baggeri in Milan in 1933.
Mahole Nagi and the work of the Bräuhaus
inspired Baggeri's solutions.
By the 1950s he adopted many
of the ideas of Swiss typography.
Unlike Müller-Brockmann, Baggeri's work
had a looser approach.
The Golden Section and grids were still apparent,
but there was a lighter touch and a willingness
to break the rules if it made for a better composition.
American and Canadian designers treated Swiss typography
the same way they dealt with Bräuhaus Modernism.
It was one of many styles, and used with a range of clients.
A grid might be present on a layout,
but some elements might shift if the designer
determined it created more impact.
As in this poster by Arnold Sachs.
The International Style dominated architecture and design
throughout the 1950s and early 1960s.
But as less-talented architects
and designers began using the style,
the results became venal and dull.
Today, we take for granted that we set up a grid for layout,
use The Golden Sections for proportion,
and maintain mathematical consistency with type sizes.
These are all the result of Swiss typography.