The Swiss Grid

The Society of Design Arts, AIGA Baltimore, and Stevenson University co-hosted this online talk by Angelina Lippert, Poster House Chief Curator.

The Swiss Grid explores the development and impact of the International Typographic Style, considered one of the most important movements in graphic design history, through a selection of posters and ephemera. Influenced by the Concrete art of the Bauhaus and Jan Tschichold’s The New Typography, the practitioners of this style streamlined compositions through an adherence to geometric grid structures. The results were pared down, harmonious, instantly comprehensible designs—masterpieces of communication—that have stood the test of time. To complete the story of Swiss poster history, companion exhibitions in adjoining galleries will celebrate over 100 years of Swiss design, from illustrational posters of the prewar period up through the “Swiss punk” movement of the 1970s and beyond.

ABOUT THE PRESENTER
Angelina Lippert holds an MA in the art of the Russian Avant-Garde from the Courtauld Institute of Art in London, and a BA in theology and art history from Smith College. Prior to working at Poster House, Angelina served ten years as a poster specialist at a leading New York City leading auction house. She has produced dozens of auction catalogs and articles, as well as The Art Deco Poster, and has lectured at SVA and The Cooper Union. She is a member of AAM, AAMC, AIGA, and is on the Board of Directors for The Ephemera Society of America. Her research interests include German Expressionism, Soviet film posters, and the history of food and wine in advertising.

Credits

This program was co-hosted by the Society of Design Arts (SoDA), AIGA Baltimore and Stevenson University.

Angelina Lippert | Presenter
Richard Stanley | SoDA Program Leader and Moderator
Raquel Castedo | SoDA Producer and AIGA Baltimore Host