Design Context

1920

1923 - The first public Bauhaus Exhibition

1923 - The Bauhaus exhibition is widely reported by The Swiss Werkbund’s monthly, Das Werk, carried an enthusiastic account of the exhibition.

1924 - Switzerland adopt the standardization of paper sizes, encouraging a tendency towards austere geometry within graphic design.

1927 - The first exhibition of New Typography is held at the Gewerbemuseum in Basel, Switzerland.

1928 - Jan Tschichold’s second book ‘die neue Typographie’ is published, which went on to become the progressive designers textbook.

1924 - The German Industrial Standards (DIN) are adopted by the Swiss government

1930

1930 - Josef Müller-Brockmann starts an apprenticeship as a graphic designer

1930 - ‘Neue Werbegraphik’ (New Advertising Design) esxhibition held in Basel.

1930 - ‘Simmen Furniture’ poster designed by Walter Cyliax is the first use of photography within a commercial advertisement

1930 - The earliest comprehensive compendium of Modernist graphic design, Gefesselter Blick (Captured Glance) is published in Stuttgart

1931 -‘Social Democrats: Against Crisis and Poverty’ poster by Paul Senn - an early experiment into the photographic poster

1932 - Josef Müller-Brockmann studies at the Zurich Kunstgewerbeschule (school of Arts and Crafts), under Ernst Keller

1933 - ‘United Front against Lower Wages’ poster designed by Theo Ballmer, demonstrates the innovation typical of modernist work, the use of all-lowercase lettering

1933 - Closure of the Bauhaus school

1934 - Josef Müller-Brockmann becomes a freelance graphic designer in Zurich

1936 - Josef Müller-Brockmann opens his Zurich studio specialising in graphic design, exhibition design and photography.

1937 - Josef Müller-Brockmann becomes a member of the Swiss Werkbund

1940

1944 - Max Bill becomes a professor at the school of arts in Zurich

1947 - Emil Ruder helps found the Basel School.

1949 - ‘Help the Aged’ poster designed by Carlo Vivarelli is selected as once of the ‘Best Posters of the Year’.

1950

1950 - Josef Müller-Brockmann’s work shows gradual move away from illustration to objective-constructive design he also creates his first typographical poster for the Tonhalle

1953 - Max Bill, Inge Aicher-Scholl and Otl Aicher founded the Hochschule für Gestaltung in Ulm, Germany, a design school in the tradition of the Bauhaus

1954 - Univers type family designed and released by Deberny & Peignot in an effect to create a new font that would, above all, be suitable for the typesetting of longer texts

1957 - Max Miedinger at the Haas Foundry used Akzidenz Grotesk as a model for the typeface Neue Haas Grotesk released in 1957

1957 - Josef Müller-Brockmann is appointed graphic design teacher at the Zurich School of Arts and Krafts. Successor to Ernst Keller

1959 - Four zürich-based graphic designers launched the first issue of Neue Grafik magazine. A Magazine devoted to the Swiss style of design and typography.

1959 - Modernist realize their ambitions and labelled their work ‘New Graphic Design’ identified abroad as ‘Swiss Graphic Design’

1960

1960 - Neue Haas Grotesk renamed to Helvetica

1960 - Offset Lithography replaces letterpress printing

1961 - Josef Müller-Brockmann publishes his first book "The Graphic Artist and his Design Problems."

1964 - The Swiss National Exhibition, Lausanne

1964 - The International Council of Graphic Design Associations chose Zurich as the venue for its first conference

1966 - Josef Müller-Brockmann is appointed European design consultant to IBM

1967 -Josef Müller-Brockmann Foundes the Muller-Brockmann & Co advertising agency with three other partners. Advertising and design work for industrial, commercial and cultural clients