The History of the Swiss Design Style
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Swiss Design permeates almost every aspect of contemporary design, from art to architecture. You’ve probably seen the influence of the Swiss Style, whether you’ve realized it or not. It’s on posters, street signs, our favorite apps and websites, and even some buildings we live and work in. If you’re in New York, all you have to do is take the subway. The Metropolitan Transit Authority uses the Helvetica typeface and Swiss Style’s grid system on all its signage.
Swiss Design is a favorite here at Big Human, and its versatility makes it a style we turn to time and time again. We talked about it in our Guide to Graphic Design Styles, but we wanted to give Swiss Style its own moment to shine with a deeper dive into its history and relevance.
Here, we explore the origins of the Swiss Design Style (also known as International Typographic Style) and its main design principles.
What is Swiss Design?
The Swiss Design Style, also know as International Typographic Style, is a minimalist design style emphasizing simplicity, objectivity, and readability; designs are set asymmetrically within a grid to present content in a formalized way. The “typographic” descriptor reflects the style’s use of left-aligned sans-serif typefaces that were typically paired with photographic images, abstract graphics, and modest but bold color palettes.
The Origins of Swiss Design
Swiss Style emerged in Switzerland in the 1950s, but its origins can be found in the modernist art movements of the 1910s and 1920s: Bauhaus in Germany, Constructivism in Russia, and De Stijl in the Netherlands. Known for their practical, uncomplicated designs, these movements were a reaction to the ornate, aesthetic eras before them (think Art Nouveau and Art Deco).
The Swiss Design movement can be traced back to two major art schools in Switzerland: Allgemeine Gewerbeschule in Basel and Kunstgewerbeschule in Zurich, led by Armin Hoffman and Josef Müller-Brockmann respectively. Both Hoffman and Müller-Brockmann were taught by Ernst Keller (often referred to as the Father of Swiss Style) in Zurich before World War II. As one of the first people to use the grid system Swiss Style is now known for, Keller believed content should inform design, using simple shapes and minimal color palettes to express the subject’s importance.
This philosophy follows the Bauhaus motto of “form follows function.” International Typographic Style pioneers saw themselves as communicators, using design as a means for information-sharing rather than an avenue for personal expression. They preferred to convey information in an approachable way, allowing content to speak for itself. This helped Swiss Style’s popularity soar after World War II since it was mostly used on posters and other signage. As international trade increased, Swiss Style’s focus on legibility and usefulness helped ease communication between countries.
Swiss Design Principles
There’s a structure for everything, even art and design. Design principles are guidelines and considerations that inform and instruct a designer’s work. Swiss Design is steered by its end goal: clarity in a universally identifiable visual language.
Grid Systems
Fundamental to the Swiss Style’s utilitarian approach, grid systems are mathematically constructed to ensure even proportions between elements. They act as invisible guides, setting a visual hierarchy that helps structure text, images, and other design elements.
Clean, Consistent Spacing
Clean lines and consistent spacing are byproducts of Swiss Design’s grid systems, tying in the theme of uniformity the style is known for. It also strategically uses whitespace to maintain balance and draw viewers' eyes to the most important elements.
Sans-Serif Typefaces
Swiss Design is also called International Typographic Style because it heavily emphasizes typography. In the spirit of eliminating unnecessary fluff, the typefaces that emerged during the Swiss Style era removed all serif appliques. Lauded for its versatility, Helvetica (the Latin word for Swiss) is one of the most influential and recognizable sans-serif typefaces.
Asymmetrical Layouts
Since the Swiss Style uses left-aligned, ragged-right typefaces, designs are rarely set in the center. This also accounts for the direction in which most languages read and process information: left-to-right.
Minimal Color Palettes
Swiss Design color palettes are limited but carefully chosen, which maintains simplicity and allows the content to shine. It was common for early Swiss designs to use only two to three colors.
Geometric Shapes
Simple geometric shapes add visual interest to Swiss designs. They’re abstract motifs that put the focus on the content rather than clouding it with ornate designs.
Objective Photography
Photography in Swiss Design is more functional than aesthetic. Swiss Style was created to facilitate communication, and objective photography helps present information in a clear and direct way. Photos are often done in a documentary style, taking a neutral perspective to bring attention to the subject.
Examples of Swiss Design
The influence of the Swiss Design Style can be found on the Big Human website and the products we’ve incubated in-house (it really is our favorite), but we’ve also compiled a few notable examples below.
Josef Müller-Brockmann Posters
As one of Swiss Design’s early pioneers, Müller-Brockmann used the style throughout his entire career. His posters from the 1950s-1970s remain iconic and continue to inspire modern designers.
Volkswagen
In the 1960s, Volkswagen released a series of ads in newspapers and magazines. Famous for their simplicity, the black-and-white campaigns were a stark contrast to the more illustrative, colorful designs of the time.
Tom Ford by Tom Ford and Bridget Foley
Fashion designer Tom Ford’s visual diary is a popular coffee table book and statement piece. The book’s massive size is balanced by its minimalist cover — a white sans-serif typeface on a black background.
Apple
From its digital products to its marketing materials, Apple’s design foundation is deeply rooted in the Swiss Style. To help designers create digital experiences for its platforms, the tech giant provides public access to its Human Interface Guidelines and International Style copywriting standards.
Interested in exploring other design styles? Start with the Big Human Guide to Graphic Design Styles.
FAQs
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