In layout and typography Switzerland enjoys an excellent reputation. The National Museum Zurich is staging a small, exquisite exhibition that showcases outstanding representatives of the 20th century and their works.

Paul Brühwiler, Georges Calame, Celestino Piatti and Hans Tomamichel: Switzerland is abundant in good graphic designers. Many of these creative designers are not only good, but also versatile. They oscillate between art and commissioned work, switch between styles and formats, and constantly reinvent themselves. This exhibition shows how trendsetting works were created from sketches and drafts.

A wonderful embodiment of the flexibility of Swiss graphic designers is Celestino Piatti. This Zurich man with Ticino roots was very versatile. He designed everything, from stamps to posters to book covers. With his book covers he shaped the visual identity of the Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag publishing company for decades. Paul Brühwiler, too, had his fingers in many pies. This native of Lucerne worked not just in Switzerland, where he made a name for himself particularly with his impressive posters for the Zurich Film Podium, but also in the USA. There, for example, he designed album covers for the Beach Boys and Janis Joplin. By contrast, Hans Tomamichel’s work was more regional. However, in the middle of the last century he created Knorrli, a likeable advertising character who still today in the 21st century has a permanent place in the collective memory of the Swiss public.