wiedler.ch

book (design) story #192

richard paul lohse:
grafik

kunstgewerbemuseum zürich, 1943
printer: werkstätten der gewerbeschule zürich
size: 21 x 15 cm
designer: gérard miedinger

the verband schweizer grafiker (association of swiss graphic designers) was founded in 1938. five years later they had a show of their work in the kunstgewerbemuseum zürich. the catalogue cover is signed "miedinger", i.e. gérard miedinger (1912-1995), a modernist swiss graphic designer who had studied in zürich in the early 1930s.

richard paul lohse (1902-1988), a founding member of the vsg, contributed an interesting essay "die mittel des gebrauchsgraphikers" (the means of the graphic designer). in this early text lohse talks about the principles of what later beame known as "swiss style" graphic design – using the key terms "raster" (grid), "konstruktiv" (constructive) und "messbar" (measurable).

lohse points out that (...) the industrial production has brought new means for designing such as photography that have to be considered by modern graphic designers. to the working of the crayon, i.e. lithography, the mechanical working of the grid has been added (...) in older times not many graphic designers were involved with typography. however today typography is a fundamental element of graphic design means. a number of graphic designers have influenced type design and typographic design and thus played a key role in changing and enriching the look of typography. here we can see (...) a change in the formal world view, and a shift towards the constructive and measurable forms. (...)

below some logos designed by hans hartmann, walter herdeg, and helmut kurtz. at the right basel university stationary designed by hermann eidenbenz.

below works by pierre gauchat for the swiss landesausstellung 1939 and embru furniture, and by hans aeschbach for cigar manufacturerers eicifa.

there is a leaflet laid in whith a list of the bernese vsg group. among the names you find frida allenbach-meier (see stories 190, 191) and hans hartmann (story 127), and paul sollberger who is credited for the leaflet's design.