Swiss Graphic Design History

For the first time, publications and exhibitions that shaped graphic design history in Switzerland after 1925 are recorded in a database and visualized as interactive timeline and network.

Factsheet

  • Lead school Bern Academy of the Arts
  • Institute Institute of Design Research
  • Research unit Design History
  • Funding organisation BFH
  • Duration 01.02.2012 - 31.07.2013
  • Project management Prof. Robert Lzicar
  • Head of project Prof. Robert Lzicar
  • Project staff Agnes Laube
    Amanda Unger
    Tina Anna Güntner
  • Partner Grafiksammlung, Museum für Gestaltung Zürich
  • Keywords historiography, graphic design history, exhibition, publication, data visualization

Situation

This project is intended to provide a framework for scientific research on graphic design history in Switzerland by representing existing publications and exhibitions that narrate a history of graphic design.

Course of action

Which publiactions and exhibitions narrate a history of graphic design? Which objects are presented within? Which persons or institutions were involved?

Result

This project recorded over 300 graphic design historic publications and exhibitions in a database, three of them with containing works and their designers. Data is visualized as timeline and network view. The datavisualization will be published as website. The presentation of two posters by Josef Müller-Brockmann in graphicdesignhistoric exhibitions and publications is used to represent specific historiographic processes. The findings are discussed as scientific article.

Looking ahead

A symposium with scientific presentations dealing with Swiss graphic design history is organized till end of 2013. A workshop provides the basis for a follow-up project funded by SNF.