There's no denying that Switzerland has played a huge role in shaping graphic design over the years, starting in the 1940s when people such as Josef Müller-Brockmann and Armin Hofmann developed the International Typographic Style that still influences the work of magazine, book, poster and web designers to this day.
Those keen to catch up with how today's studios in Zurich, Basel, Geneva and beyond are continuing that legacy should head over to Zurich Oerlikon from October 26 to 28 for the GrafikSCHWEIZ design and technology extravaganza.
Bringing together an exhibition, conference, workshops and entertainment, the three-day event aims to provide an overview of current Swiss-made graphic design, as well as works by international creators.
With around 130 exhibitors and over 7,000 visitors expected, the event is Switzerland's largest festival for graphic design, typography, illustration, urban art, new media, AR/VR and digital design.
This year's 18th edition welcomes a bona fide Swiss graphic design superhero in the form of former Marvel and DC Comics illustrator David Boller, who'll be presenting his new comic series 'Bionicman' with co-author Michel Fornasier, as well as giving two graphic novel masterclasses.
The festival will also examine how technology is shaping the design world as researcher Patrik Künzler presents his Limbic Chair VR, a device that interfaces with a computer like a mouse and enables movements to stimulate the limbic system, while computer graphics company Nvidia demonstrates a deep-learning algorithm that enables a robot to perfectly imitate an artist's style.
Both presentations are sure to offer plenty to talk about – something this year's festival is aiming to encourage as it hosts its first conference on Friday October 26. Among the guests tackling issues affecting today’s designers, graphic designers, illustrators and creative economists will be Gery Colombo, CEO of robotic and sensor-based devices developer Hocoma, and Dr Oliver Deussen, professor for visual computing at the University of Konstanz.
Why not draw up a chair and discover how Swiss designers might be shaping the world of tomorrow?
grafikSCHWEIZ 18. Hallo 622, Zurich Oerlikon, Zurich (www.grafik-schweiz.ch). Friday October 26 to Sunday October 28, 11am-8pm. CHF50 (three-day ticket), CHF22 (one-day ticket).