Ruedi Külling

Ruedi Külling was born in 1935, lived and worked in the Zurich area, and passed away at the age of 90 on 1 August 2025.

After training as a graphic designer at the Zurich School of Applied Arts, he worked in Milan before joining Victor N. Cohen as a graphic designer in 1956. Until 1962, he worked for agencies in London and Leo Burnett in Chicago.

In 1962, Külling became head of the graphic design department at Advico, the advertising agency founded by Victor Cohen in Gockhausen/Zurich, and became co-owner of the agency after Cohen’s death in 1976. Külling created the famous commercial for BIC in which a ballpoint pen scribbles the logo. It was awarded a Golden Lion in Cannes. He also designed the well-known Sinalco posters. His creations have won numerous awards, including ‘Swiss Poster of the Year,’ and various have been included in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

When Advico merged with the American agency Young & Rubicam in 1989, Ruedi Külling founded the design agency Külling Partner Identity, which mainly carried out tasks in the field of corporate and packaging design.
Külling was also one of the co-founders of the AGI – Alliance Graphique Internationale and the Swiss Art Directors Club ADC, which will celebrate its 50th anniversary next year.

AWARDS:

17 awards of ‘One of the 20 best posters of the year’ from the Swiss Government. Poster Biennale Warsaw, Poland: 1 gold palm, 1 silver palm, and 4 diplomas. 12th International Advertising Film Festival Cannes, France: international first prize.

4 first prizes Olma poster competition. Montreal: first international prize for a poster of the agriculture fair Olma. For Xemex Swiss Watch ‘Montre passion’: prix du public. Design Centre Nordrein Westfalen red point prize for ‘High Design Quality’. ADC Switzerland silver category Product and Package Design. ‘Chronos Europe’ design innovation 2000 (1st place). ‘Watch Times USA’ watch of the year 2001 (1st place).

PUBLICATIONS:

Graphis, international journal of graphic and applied art. 50 years poster Switzerland.

The poster in Switzerland.

Les Annees 60 d’Anne Bouy (Paris). HO-Zeitschrift ilber das Gestalten (Germany). Posters as permanent exhibits in the Museum of Modern Art, New York. Watches and other products designs are available at the stores of the Chicago Museum of Architecture Design, at the London Design Museum, at the Museum of Modern Art, New York, and at the Guggenheim Museum, New York.

AGI: Alliance Graphique Internationale, president for 6 years.

Posters by Ruedi Külling