wiedler.ch

book (design) story #724

rudolf hostettler, robert büchler:
tm / typografische monatsblätter / 1954, 1

schweizerischer typographenbund, 1954
printer: zollikofer & co., st. gallen
size: 31 x 23 cm
designer: robert büchler

this issue of the swiss monthly on typography "typographische monatsplätter" – "tm" for short, see also story 566 for background – is a true gem, one of the most interesting issues of the 1950s.

this first issue of 1954 presents the results of an open competition for a redesign of the magazine, ...

... and the typography of this issue was based on the winner's design.

the winner was robert büchler (*1914), while his basel school colleague emil ruder came second place (shared with rudolf peter from heiden).

büchler was given the opportunity to explain his design which he aptly named "quadrat 12" – the page layout was based on a grid of 4 x 3 squares. .

büchler also reprodced some designs by his students, turning this issue almost into a kind of "manifesto" for the basel school.

interestingly, büchler preferred "gill sans", a sansserif typeface not often used by designers of the zürich group around lohse and müller-brockmann.