Foundations for the quality and success of Swiss posters

A number of lithographic printing companies played a key role in the quality and success of the Swiss poster in the early days – in particular the Wolfensberger printing company in Zurich, which also owned the former Wolfsberg art salon, one of the most important exhibition venues for posters. Other early lithographic printers included Trüb in Aarau, Wassermann in Basel, Sonor in Geneva and Marsens and Roth & Sauter in Lausanne. From 1914, Swiss posters were printed in the ‘world format’ (90.5 x 128 cm, now called F4) – after the introduction of DIN formats at the beginning of the 1920s, Switzerland was the only country to retain the world format as the standard format for posters.

Businesses and institutions who recognised the possibilities of poster advertising and had a feel for design quality were also of great importance for Swiss poster creation. These included transport companies such as SBB, fashion houses such as Bally or PKZ, pharmaceutical companies such as Gaba, as well as food manufacturers, tourist resorts, public and cultural institutions and even political campaigns. With their poster commissions, they made the success of talented poster artists and poster production in Switzerland possible in the first place.

Since 1941, the best Swiss posters have been awarded an annual prize by the Federal Department of Home Affairs in collaboration with the Allgemeine Plakatgesellschaft APG (Swiss general poster association). This award has also contributed to the great reputation and high standard of posters in Switzerland.

→ Next page: Art Deco and the rise of graphic designers