• Archives of design research
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.175-182
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• 2003

The objective of this study is to systematically understand the swiss graphic style and examine the design ideology of designers and the visual features, with the focus on the posters that played the largest role in the formation and settlement of the swiss graphic style. Although through other visual designs such as editorial design, from the outside beyond posters, the swiss graphic style has evolved to exert a large influence around the world, based on the posters that served as the main medium for expression by designers and that were used the most in instigating the public, this study aims to cast light on the swiss graphic style, which has become recognized as the textbook of the graphic design around the world since the mid 20th century. First, the study casts light on the meaning of the creation of the graphic style through the background and the formation process, aiming to examine the visual features of the swiss graphic style and how they are integrated through the posters of Swiss designers. The personal activities and efforts of individual designers contributed significantly to the formation and development of a certain design style; however this study intends to identify the other equally important elements: the underlying social and cultural influence, the legacy of previous design styles and ideologies, the collective enthusiasm of designers, and the active progress of experimental research.