International Style vs Swiss Style
Swiss Style is the cross-discipline counterpart of International Style — the graphic parallel to the architectural International Style — grids, neutrality, 'less is more'.
International Style
The austere, functional modernism of glass curtain walls and unornamented volumes — 'form follows function' built in steel and glass.
- Rectilinear, volumetric forms with flat roofs
- Glass curtain walls and ribbon windows
- No applied ornament — 'form follows function'
- Exposed structural grid; steel and reinforced concrete
- Open, flexible floor plans raised on pilotis in some works
Swiss Style
The mid-century gospel of objective design — mathematical grids, flush-left ragged-right sans-serif type (Helvetica, Akzidenz-Grotesk), generous white space, and photography in place of illustration.
- Mathematical modular grid underlying every element
- Neo-grotesque sans-serif type (Helvetica, Akzidenz-Grotesk)
- Flush-left, ragged-right text setting
- Asymmetric layout balanced by generous white space
- Objective photography instead of illustration
At a glance
| International Style | Swiss Style | |
|---|---|---|
| Era | 1920s–1970s | 1950s–1970s |
| Discipline | Architecture | Graphic Design |
| Region | Germany, Worldwide | Switzerland, Germany, International |
| Family | Modernism | Modernist, International |
| Formal traits | geometric, minimal, functional, unornamented | grid-based, sans-serif, asymmetric, minimal |
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