Switzerland.

Ahhhhh.... SWITZERLAND.





Possibly the most beautiful country in the world and I am fortunate enough to be spending the majority of my summer here :D Everything about the place is immaculate. And that's before I even get to their graphic design. Clinical I suppose could be the word to describe it. Or again immaculate... Despite the majority of my time being spent on working here and researching for my 3rd year design 'strategy plan,' I have still found time to relax and have a good time. (Naturally) Mostly by doing the following...



I have come across a few new names that I was completely ignorant to until my time here. Those I feel I should really know about due to their status' within Swiss design.
Firstly, Josef Müller-Brockmann, a Swiss graphic designer and teacher. He studied architecture, design and history of art. In 1936 he opened his Zurich studio specialising in graphic design, exhibition design and photography. Müller-Brockman was author of the 1961 publications The Graphic Artist and his Design Problems, Grid Systems in Graphic Design where he advocates use of the grid for page structure, and the 1971 publications History of the Poster and A History of Visual Communication.
He is recognised for his simple designs and his clean use of typography, notably Akzidenz-Grotesk, shapes and colours which inspires many graphic designers in the 21st century. Many of his works can be found on the gallery Blanka.





I have also discovered an amazing site called Blanka. Wow. This is how their description goes...



BLANKA IS A COLLECTION OF ORIGINAL, VINTAGE AND LIMITED EDITION POSTERS AND PRINTS. OUR EVER-EXPANDING WEBSITE INCLUDES ART, DESIGN, PHOTOGRAPHY, FILM AND MUSIC, BROUGHT TOGETHER BY COLLECTORS AND LEADING CREATIVES. WE COLLECT PRINTS TO SELL OR JUST TO INSPIRE, AND WE ARE CONSTANTLY ADDING NEW, HISTORIC AND UNUSUAL WORK TO OUR PERMANENT VISUAL ARCHIVE.

Their tabs include:

DESIGN
PHOTOGRAPHY
ART
T-SHIRTS
VOUCHER
BOOKS
MUSIC
FILM
EVENTS

One word. Brilliant. I have thoroughly enjoyed looking through the majority of these tabs and been greatly inspired. It gave me the familiar exciting buzz that I get when seeing new work that makes me tick. Check it out :)

One designer/illustrator that i took a shine to was GREGORY GILBERT-LODGE.





HE LIVES AND WORKS IN ZURICH, SWITZERLAND. HIS WORK HAS BEEN EXHIBITED AND PUBLISHED WIDELY THROUGHOUT EUROPE. HE HAS NOT ONLY WON HEAPS OF PRAISE FOR HIS TALENT BUT HE HAS ALSO PICKED UP NUMEROUS AWARD FOR HIS ELEGANTLY CRAFTED DRAWING STYLE AND APPROACH TO HIS ARTWORK.
Check his work at: WWW.GILBERT-LODGE.COM

One thing. I'm worried that I'm not doing anything that's practical myself. Finding time to draw is near impossible unless it's a mere doodle. So my mission is to try and get some work on the go and get it up on here. That's the plan Stan.