Stylogenyin the style of International Typographic Style

Rational modernism · 1950–1975 · Central Europe

International Typographic Style

Also known as Swiss Style, Swiss Modernism

A post-war refinement of the New Typography in which the mathematical grid, objective photography and neo-grotesque sans-serifs were used to communicate with clarity and neutrality. Taught at the Basel and Zurich schools, it became the default language of international corporate and institutional communication.

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The words “Urban Systems” appear in large black and red lettering at the upper left of an off-white cover. Tall blue, black and grey rectangular blocks rise from the bottom, with fine vertical dividing lines and a red circle at the upper right.
AI-generated by Stylogeny from the style’s design choices. Not a real or historical work.

01

How it works

  • Build every layout on a mathematically derived modular grid.
  • Set text flush left, ragged right, in a neutral sans-serif.
  • Prefer objective photography over illustration.
  • Create hierarchy through scale, weight and position rather than ornament.
  • Use white space as an active compositional element.

Zurich & Basel, Switzerland

02

Its design choices

From Stylogeny’s vocabulary of design choices: defining choices make the style, characteristic ones are usual, occasional ones turn up now and then.

Layout & composition
Space & hierarchy
Typography
Colour
Form & shape
Surface & texture
Ornament
Imagery
Medium & production
Tone & intent
Avoids
Abundant decoration, Floral & vegetal, Ornamented display, Script, Eclectic mixing, Central symmetry, Horror vacui, Skeuomorphic material

Palette

  • #f2f0e9
  • #111111
  • #e1251b
  • #7a7a7a
  • #1f4e9c

Typefaces

  • Akzidenz-Grotesk

  • Helvetica

  • Univers

  • Neue Haas Grotesk

Known for

  • Josef Müller-Brockmann

    Zurich Tonhalle posters

  • Armin Hofmann

    Basel School of Design

  • Emil Ruder

    Typographie, 1967

  • Max Bill

  • Neue Grafik journal

    1958–1965

  • Max Miedinger & Eduard Hoffmann

    Helvetica, 1957

03

Make something in this style

Say what you need, and Stylogeny’s image studio draws it from International Typographic Style’s design choices and checks it against them. It takes about a minute, and you get a link to share.

Rule out a choice, read the prompt, or blend in another style: take this brief to Mix styles.

04

Where it comes from, and what it’s close to

Before it

The style it grew out of, and the styles it borrowed from.

This styleInternational Typographic Style1950–1975 · Central Europe

After it

The styles that grew out of it.

Alike in its design choices

Styles that make many of the same choices, related or not, besides those above.

05

Real works

Artefacts in museums, libraries and archives that show the style, linked at their source.

06

Sources

  1. Philip B. Meggs & Alston W. Purvis, Meggs' History of Graphic Design
  2. Josef Müller-Brockmann, Grid Systems in Graphic Design (1981)

How Stylogeny researches and checks a style: where the facts come from.