If you Wikipedia Swiss Design, you get the following description:
“Swiss Design refers to a graphic design style developed in Switzerland in the 1950s that emphasizes cleanliness, readability and objectivity. Hallmarks of the style are asymmetric layouts, use of a grid, sans-serif typefaces like Akzidenz Grotesk, and flush left, ragged right text…”
This fits well with popular understanding of the typical swiss design style, which is why my recent experience of Swiss design work was so surprising.
Visiting Basel in north-west Switzerland the Fasnacht carnival takes place each year on the Monday after ash Wednesday marking the start of Lent. It is a chance for the city to indulge in some very atypical revelry where the people of the town exercise the traditional carnival right to speak out on any issue they like. This is done though amazing processions (starting at 3am on Monday morning and lasting solidly for 3 days) where intricate design work satirizes domestic and international issues – religion, immigration policy, drug use, smoking… through to the (sometime deceased) British queen mother?!
An amazing visual spectacle which dispels any myth that the Swiss are all boring types.
Some of my favourite visuals:
[...] Zebra Crossing Creative Media wrote an interesting post today on Swiss StyleHere’s a quick excerptIf you Wikipedia Swiss Design, you get the following description: “Swiss Design refers to a graphic design style developed in Switzerland in the 1950s that e… [...]