wiedler.ch

book (design) story #251

heinrich brockmann-jerosch:
schweizer bauernhaus

verlag hans huber, bern, 1933
size: 24 x 16 cm
designer: pierre gauchat (jacket, cover + illustrations)

heinrich (henryk) brockmann-jerosch (1879-1939) grew up in winterthur and later became a professor of botany at the zürich university. he also wrote this important book on historic swiss farm houses.

the design of the photographic dustjacket ist strikingly modernist, with a red sans-serif title set diagonally along the edge of the roof. the author's name is shortened to "br-j" on the jacket's front and on the cover.

the jacket is signed "gauchat" in a red lowercase sans-serif. renowned swiss graphic designer pierre gauchat (1902-1956) had trained at the kunstgewerbeschule zürich, and later became a teacher there. we already mentioned him in connection with this brochure.

gauchat is also credited for the many drawings of farm houses in the book. the foreword explains why drawings were preferred over photographs – to emphasise the typical features and mask out modern alterations to the bulidings.