'Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication' says it all. A beautifully designed look book for LG products designed by London based Territory. The book named The Studio, showcases the best product design and innovations from LG European Design Studio between 2008 and 2010. The book set in Helvetica Neue is perfectly understated allowing the sophistication of the products to really shine through.
I came across a post at Modular Four that features these Swiss passport images and I totally agree with everything said. The bold design of its flag coupled with the words Swiss Passport in white Helvetica type is then followed by intricate geometric patterns that visually highlight the cross on each spread on the inside. The pages are designed, well considered and continue its fine heritage of design.
I love this simple brand identity created by Dinamo Design based in Norway. Created in 2009 when the Norwegian Opera and National Ballet moved into a new building and required a new name and strategy. The inspiration for the identity was derived from the architecture, the logo being an abstract interpretation of this, based upon the main angle set at 7.125 degrees. The brand was then rolled out with a strong grid system that utilised the angle as a graphic device for imagery and colour overlays/die cuts.
Mind Design is an independent East London based graphic design studio founded in 1999 by RCA graduate Holger Jacobs. They work across all media and have some fantastic work on their website including this identity for Russell Marsh Casting. As the company casts models for the fashion industry the identity is based on the golden section, the most perfect and beautiful of proportions. Various line patterns used on the stationery relate to the golden section and the overlapping lines create different densities and join perfectly at the edges of each format. Fantastic idea and beautifully crafted I love it.
Manual is a graphic design and branding consultancy based in San Francisco, California.Their approach is always grounded in clarity, simplicity, beautifully crafted design and follow the key principles of Swiss Design. I particularly like this identity for Betrained a Spanish website for social learning. 
Pierre Mendell (1929 - 2008) born in France, emigrated to America in 1947 before returning to France in 1953, where he worked in the family textiles company. In 1958 he began studying graphic design under the infamous leadership of Armin Hofmann at the Schule für Gestaltung in Basle. In 1961 the Mendell & Oberer studio was founded in Munich.
Mendell was to become one of the world's leading graphic designers and for almost 30 years was responsible for creating the visual identity of the neue sammlung - the international design museum in Munich.
The foundation of Mendell's work is typically Swiss but is characterized by elements of vibrancy, poetry, and humour. His cultural posters and corporate design identities -- including his designs for Vitra and Siemens, are timeless yet contemporary. For more of his great poster designs grab a copy of Pierre Mendell, Plakat fur die Opera.
Fred Troller (1930 - 2002) was an American graphic designer that emigrated from Switzerland. Born in Zurich in 1930 and graduating from the Zurich School of Design in 1950. Troller was best known for the fantastic graphic work for the Geigy Chemical Corporation. He later established his own design studio in New York working for clients such as Exxon, General Electric, IBM and American Airlines. Troller helped make the Swiss New Typography popular stateside. His work was heavily influenced by the Bauhaus school and his style was characterised by the manipulation of geometric forms, jarring juxtapositions of large and small types and visual puns formed from the fonts themselves. He later became an educator of design and taught at Cooper Union, the School of the Visual Arts, and Rhode Island School of Design.
Carl Bernard Graf (1926-1968) was a Zurich based designer that contributed to the swiss style with his work regularly appearing in Graphis. There is little known about this designer on-line although if you look at the excellent wiedler.ch site you will find a classic example of 1950s' swiss modernism: asymmetric page layout and page numbers, sans-serif typeface, lowercase titles revealing the influence of 1920s' new typography, created by Graf. In 1964 Graf created a logo for Zurich firm Metallbau, makers of Norm metal building components. The rectangle containing the letters became a structural element in the stationery and advertising including this excellent example. For more his great work check out Insect's flikr set.
I am always on the lookout for modernist architecture and would love to feature more on this blog, so was pleased when I came across these photos of a residential property in Cabrera de Mar, Barcelona. The concept is simple; two prisms placed one above the other, with a slightly displaced movement of the top prism, creating an immense overhang and an interior fissure. This wonderful modernist structure was created by Spanish architectures AIA Salazar Navarro. Their website is well worth a visit as they have a plethora of modernist buildings with designs that really create a bold statement against the landscape. Great work.
Information graphics has been undergoing a renaissance of late and it is fantastic to see that this art form is finally being recognised. Österreich 2025 designed by Christoph Almasy is a publication of the zukunftsinstitut, a company that is about future and trend research. The study conveys Austria and its potential in the future. Christoph's primary goal was to show it in a thrilling/fresh way and to reduce the complexity of data whilst making it easy to understand. I love the contrast of the simple typography set alongside the visually complex graphics, great work.
Georges Calame (1930-99) born in Geneva in 1930, was highly regarded in Switzerland as a poster designer but was less well know internationally despite travelling extensively. He spent some time in Paris, before opening his own design studio in Geneva,1953. From 1969-75 he was art director of the Pakistan Design Center in Karachi, but also designed the 'Dybs 69' design biennial and the travelling exhibition 'Swiss Graphic Design'. From 1975 to 1993 he created the visual identity of the BCG bank and the 'look and feel' for all its branches. Despite being a prolific designer in many fields it is his poster work that he is renowned for. His posters were selected 15 times at the 'Best Swiss Posters of the Year' event.
Otto Treumann (1919-2001) is regarded as a major pioneer in the modernisation of graphic design in the Netherlands. His style developed through his interest and connection with the Swiss school of typography and Bauhaus, combining clear typography and usage of colour. He established a great working relationship with many industrial clients, invariably achieving innovative work in the arena where economics meets culture. Some of his most renowned work included the identity work for El Al Airlines, the 'Jaarbeurs' in Utrecht postage stamps and the Jewish Historical Museum in Amsterdam. A monograph of his work can be bought from all good retailers.
Marin Dsgn a designer based in Barcelona Spain, clearly has a penchant for modernist Swiss design as can be seen from his extensive portfolio of work on his flikr photostream. I particularly like the poster above, the simple bold vibrancy draws you in and encourages you to find out more just as all good posters should. Great work.
Richard Paul Lohse (1902-1988) was a Swiss painter and graphic artist and one of the main representatives of the concrete and constructive art. In 1918 he trains as a graphic artist at advertising agency Max Dalang. His graphic work during the thirties puts him at the forefront of Swiss pioneers and in 1937 with Leo Leuppi cofounds Allianz, an association of modern Swiss artists. In the 1940s his love of painting took over and he became one of the leading representatives of Concrete art. His paintings are mathematically-based, often featuring chequer-board or grid-like patterns of colour. During the fifties he published the book "New Design in Exhibitions"(1953) and was co-editor of the magazine Neue Grafik (1958). It was during this time that he also produced the fantastic work for modular furniture company Wohnbedarf. The work (as seen in the spread above) was so simple but so elegant in its execution, beautiful work.
Swiss design agency Mixer are a community of talented individuals that can function as themselves or as a group. They produce contemporary modern graphics but clearly look to the past and have learnt from their Swiss contemporaries. I particularly like their poster work (above) that create real tension by shape shifting. For more great poster work by designer Erich Brechbuhl and other Mixer community members visit their website.
Max Huber (1919-92) one of the most influential Swiss designers of the twentieth century started his career by graduating from the infamous Kunstgewerbeschule in Zurich under Hans Williman before joining an ad agency in Zurich and meeting with the likes of Max Bill and Hans Neuburg. To avoid being drafted into the Swiss army he moves to Milan to join infamous italian studio Boggeri. After returning from Italy he joins Allianz in 1942 and exhibits his abstract work at the Kunsthaus Zurich with the likes of Max Bill and Richard Lohse. With the end of the war he returns to Italy and produces some of his greatest work like the poster (above) for the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza di Gran Prix. In 2005 in Chiasso the m.a.xmuseo was opened in dedication to his great work.
Daniela Meloni's branding and 200 page annual report for the NWO (New World Order) is a fascinating idea that has been beautifully executed. For the uninitiated (including myself) the term New World Order is a generic term used to refer to a worldwide conspiracy orchestrated by a group of powerful and influential individuals. I particularly like the logo, created with geometric triangular forms that pays homage to the old illuminati logo. It is well worth checking Daniela's behance site for the full story. Great work.
Bob Noorda (1927-2010), was an internationally known graphic designer who helped introduce a Modernist look to advertising posters, corporate logos and in the 1960s along with Massimo Vignelli, the entire New York City subway system. Noorda took his Bauhaus training and created beautiful work for Pirelli, Olivetti and Alpha Romeo before founding Unimark in 1965 with Vignelli. Unimark were credited for awakening the corporate world to Modernist design thinking and for using distinctive type and images to create a consistent brand identity. His legacy lies with designs for the underground rail maps for Milan, New York and Sao Paulo that still remain today. A true legend of modernism.
Ann Suvarnapunya a designer that hails from New York has created this wonderfully understated brand that uses a black circle as a simple bold symbol for this modern mens grooming salon. The strong mark contrasting with the clean typography suggests an exclusive experience that keeps it simple and to the point. If you are ever in Minneapolis be sure to pop by for the full brand experience. Great work.
