In a multilingual and neutral country, designers trained at the schools of applied arts in Zurich and Basel sought an objective, clear and universal visual communication. The magazine Neue Grafik, published from 1958 to 1965, became its showcase.
Origin and date
Origin: Switzerland, mainly Zurich and Basel.
Date: 1950s to 1960s.
Principles
The grid as a compositional tool, sans serifs, flush-left alignment, asymmetry, objective photography and a crystal-clear hierarchy of information.
Key figures
Josef Müller-Brockmann, Emil Ruder, Armin Hofmann, Max Bill, Richard Paul Lohse.
Associated typefaces
Akzidenz-Grotesk, then Helvetica and Univers, both released in 1957.
Legacy
Spread around the world under the name International Style, it laid the foundations of modern layout. Books such as Müller-Brockmann's Grid Systems in Graphic Design remain references in every design school.