Swiss Graphic Design and Advertising by Geigy, 1940-1970
The J. R. Geigy A.G. chemical concern was the starting point for a great moment in the history of Swiss graphic art and advertising. “Research for tomorrow” – the former Basle-based company also lived up to this forward-looking slogan in its communication: its design was intended to increase sales of products “made in Switzerland”. Symbolic imagery and striking typography had their places in the varied formal vocabulary just as much as learning from non-representational art. Those who worked at Geigy under the direction of Max Schmid included Roland Aeschlimann, Steff Geissbuhler, Karl Gerstner, and Nelly Rudin. Selected commissions also went to freelance designers such as George Giusti, Gottfried Honegger, Herbert Leupin, and Niklaus Stoecklin. The studios of the subsidiaries in the USA and Great Britain also significantly contributed to the international spread of Swiss graphic design. This exhibition is the first comprehensive show of this important Swiss contribution to the history of design.
Link to description at museum website.
Guided tours (in German) 18:30 May 12th and 19th.
Opening hours
4 February to 24 May 2009
Monday: closed
Tuesday-Thursday: 10:00-20:00
Friday-Sunday: 10:00-17:00
Location
Galerie
Museum für Gestaltung Zürich
Ausstellungsstrasse 60
8005 Zurich
Tram stop “Museum für Gestaltung”, tram 4 and 13 or
5 minutes walk from Zurich Main Station
Exit Sihlquai, direction Limmatplatz