# Neo-Swiss Revival

> A contemporary revival of the International Typographic Style, fuelled by digital re-releases of neo-grotesques and by studios such as Experimental Jetset and Norm: modular grids, flush-left grotesque type, huge tightly set headlines and flat fields of black, white and one signal colour. It treats Swiss modernism as a living toolkit for posters, identities and the responsive web, sometimes with a knowing, citational wink.

- Period: 2005–present
- Where: Global / networked, Central Europe, Western Europe
- Origin: Zurich, Amsterdam and London studios and independent type foundries
- Branch: Rational modernism
- Also known as: Neo-Swiss, Swiss revival, Neo-modernism
- Page: https://stylogeny.com/styles/swiss-revival/

## How it works

- Build every layout on a strict modular grid and let the structure show through hairline rules, index-like tables and aligned captions.
- Set everything in one contemporary neo-grotesque, flush left, using weight and dramatic size jumps instead of extra typefaces.
- Let huge, tightly tracked display type act as the image against small, precise text.
- Hold colour to black, off-white and one saturated signal accent such as international orange, ultramarine or fluorescent.
- Carry the system onto screens with responsive grids, kinetic type and variable-font motion.

## Its design choices

Defining choices make the style, characteristic ones are usual, occasional ones turn up now and then.

### Layout & composition
- [Modular grid](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/modular-grid/) (defining)
- [Dynamic asymmetry](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/dynamic-asymmetry/) (characteristic)
- [Column grid](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/column-grid/) (characteristic)
- [Full bleed](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/full-bleed/) (occasional)

### Space & hierarchy
- [Generous white space](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/generous-white-space/) (defining)
- [Extreme scale contrast](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/extreme-scale-contrast/) (characteristic)
- [Layered information](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/layered-information/) (characteristic)

### Typography
- [Grotesque & neo-grotesque](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/grotesque-and-neo-grotesque/) (defining)
- [Flush left, ragged right](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/flush-left-ragged-right/) (defining)
- [Type as image](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/type-as-image/) (defining)
- [Tight setting](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/tight-setting/) (characteristic)
- [Monospace](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/monospace/) (occasional)
- [Lowercase only](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/lowercase-only/) (occasional)
- [Rotated & vertical setting](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/rotated-and-vertical-setting/) (occasional)

### Colour
- [Flat fields](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/flat-fields/) (defining)
- [Limited spot colours](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/limited-spot-colours/) (characteristic)
- [Monochrome](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/monochrome/) (characteristic)
- [Light ground](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/light-ground/) (characteristic)
- [Fluorescent & neon](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/fluorescent-and-neon/) (occasional)

### Form & shape
- [Rectilinear](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/rectilinear/) (characteristic)
- [Non-representational](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/non-representational/) (characteristic)
- [Geometric primitives](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/geometric-primitives/) (occasional)

### Surface & texture
- [Flat](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/flat/) (defining)
- [Grain & noise](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/grain-and-noise/) (occasional)

### Ornament
- [Ornament-free](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/ornament-free/) (defining)
- [Rules & bars](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/rules-and-bars/) (characteristic)

### Imagery
- [Typography only](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/typography-only/) (characteristic)
- [Straight photography](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/straight-photography/) (characteristic)
- [Treated photography](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/treated-photography/) (occasional)

### Medium & production
- [Web & CSS](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/web-and-css/) (characteristic)
- [Offset printing](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/offset-printing/) (characteristic)
- [Motion & broadcast](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/motion-and-broadcast/) (occasional)
- [Risograph](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/risograph/) (occasional)

### Tone & intent
- [Rational & objective](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/rational-and-objective/) (defining)
- [Ironic & self-aware](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/ironic-and-self-aware/) (occasional)

Avoids: Abundant decoration, Floral & vegetal, Ornamented display, Script, Skeuomorphic material, Gloss & highlights, Horror vacui, Flat vector illustration

Palette: #f5f5f0, #111111, #ff4a1c, #1d3bff, #c8c8c3

Typefaces: Akkurat (Lineto), Neue Haas Grotesk (Christian Schwartz revival), Suisse Int'l (Swiss Typefaces), GT America (Grilli Type), Helvetica Now

Known for: Experimental Jetset (Amsterdam); Norm (Dimitri Bruni & Manuel Krebs, Zurich); Lineto type foundry (Cornel Windlin & Stephan Müller); Gary Hustwit, Helvetica (documentary, 2007); Mike Joyce, Swissted poster series; Unit Editions (Tony Brook & Adrian Shaughnessy, London)

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

- Grew out of: [International Typographic Style](https://stylogeny.com/styles/swiss-international.md) (1950–1975)
- Influenced by: [Total Design & Dutch Functionalism](https://stylogeny.com/styles/dutch-total-design.md) (1963–1990)
- Influenced by: [Minimalist Graphic Design](https://stylogeny.com/styles/minimalism.md) (1965–present)
- Led to: [Seoul Independent Graphic Design (Small-Studio Scene)](https://stylogeny.com/styles/seoul-independent-design.md) (2005–present)
- Alike in its design choices: [Die Neue Typographie](https://stylogeny.com/styles/new-typography.md) (1923–1940), 77% alike
- Alike in its design choices: [GOV.UK Design (GDS Style)](https://stylogeny.com/styles/govuk-design-system.md) (2012–present), 73% alike
- Alike in its design choices: [Blue Note Jazz Sleeve Modernism](https://stylogeny.com/styles/blue-note-sleeve.md) (1956–1967), 73% alike
- Alike in its design choices: [HfG Ulm Systematic Design](https://stylogeny.com/styles/ulm-school.md) (1953–1968), 73% alike
- Alike in its design choices: [Newsroom Data Graphics & Scrollytelling](https://stylogeny.com/styles/newsroom-data-graphics.md) (2009–present), 69% alike
- Alike in its design choices: [Roman-like Thai Typography (modern loopless Thai)](https://stylogeny.com/styles/thai-loopless-type.md) (1973–present), 69% alike

## Real works

- [Changing Ideals – Re-Thinking The House](https://www.emuseum.ch/en/objects/224573): Experimental Jetset (Marieke Stolk, Danny van den Dungen, Erwin Brinkers), 2008, Museum für Gestaltung Zürich, Poster Collection (91-0752)
- [ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ – Helvetica](https://www.emuseum.ch/en/objects/224538): Experimental Jetset (Marieke Stolk, Danny van den Dungen, Erwin Brinkers), 2006, Museum für Gestaltung Zürich, Poster Collection (91-0761)
- [Replica](https://www.emuseum.ch/en/objects/119497): Norm (Dimitri Bruni, Manuel Krebs, Ludovic Varone), 2009, Museum für Gestaltung Zürich, Graphics Collection (L NORM 2)
- [Back in black – Akkurat schwarz](https://www.emuseum.ch/en/objects/152342): Laurenz Brunner, 2006, Museum für Gestaltung Zürich, Poster Collection (58-2061)
- [swissted (swissted.com homepage)](https://web.archive.org/web/20120131100240/http://www.swissted.com/): Mike Joyce (Stereotype Design), archived 31 January 2012, Internet Archive Wayback Machine

## Sources

- Richard Hollis, Swiss Graphic Design: The Origins and Growth of an International Style 1920–1965 (2006)
- Gary Hustwit (dir.), Helvetica (2007)

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From Stylogeny (https://stylogeny.com/), an atlas of graphic-design styles by Van Riel Online Services. How it is made: https://stylogeny.com/about/. Cite as: Stylogeny, “Neo-Swiss Revival”, https://stylogeny.com/styles/swiss-revival/