Project documentation
Corporate Diversity - Swiss graphics and advertising for Geigy 1940-1970
The studio of the former J. R. Geigy AG, the so-called "Geigy-Propaganda", was an exemplary example of a company-internal advertising department whose creations became world-famous for their consistency, independence and high level of graphic design. They also played an important role in the international spread of Swiss Style after the Second World War, particularly in the USA. They also contributed to the further development of the concept of corporate identity. It is no coincidence that the name Geigy was mentioned in the same breath as Olivetti, Braun or IBM in the context of corporate communications. Research focused on the period from the founding of "Geigy Propaganda" (1941) to the merger of the Geigy Group with CIBA (1970). These were prosperous years in which advertising expenditure followed the increasing turnover of the chemical company. Despite the diversity of tasks and media (print, packaging, trade fair, film) as well as the international clientele, the advertising management strived for a uniform appearance, the so-called "Geigy style". However, this was not characterized by uniformity, but by a flexible uniformity. There were no design guidelines at Geigy, but there was a clever personnel policy. The majority of the creative people employed here were graduates of the Basel General Vocational School. They held a similar view of design and the conviction that "good design = good business".
Information on
- Financing
Swiss National Science Foundation SNSF Duration: 1.5.2006 - 31.5.2008 Research institute: ZHdK, Institute for Cultural Studies in the Arts ICS
- Project management
Dr. des Andres Janser, Curator Museum für Gestaltung
- Employees
Barbara Junod, curator of the graphics collection Karin Gimmi, art historian Dr. des Yvonne Zimmermann, film historian
- Preliminary project
Andres Janser and Barbara Junod, June 2004 to September 2005 With start-up funding from the Institute for Cultural Studies in the Arts ICS
- Cooperations
Museum für Gestaltung Zürich, Christian Brändle Novartis Corporate Archives, Basel, Dr. Walter Dettwiler Rochester Institute of Technology, Prof. R. Roger Remington
- Exhibition at the Museum für Gestaltung Zürich
Good Design, Good Business - Swiss Graphics and Advertising for Geigy 1940-1970, February 4 - May 24, 2009
- Traveling exhibition
Lieu du Design, Paris: Good design = Good business, Oct. 8, 2010 - Jan. 8, 2011
- Publications
Andres Janser, Barbara Junod (eds.), Corporate Diversity - Schweizer Grafik und Werbung für Geigy 1940-1970, Zürich: Museum für Gestaltung Zürich, Lars Müller Publishers, 2009 (D/E) Karin Gimmi, "Geigy-Grafik in den USA", in: Christian Brändle et al. (eds.), 100 Jahre Schweizer Grafik, Zurich: Museum für Gestaltung Zürich, Lars Müller Publishers, 2014 (D/E) Yvonne Zimmermann, "Training and Entertaining Consumers: Travelling Corporate Film Shows in Switzerland", in: Martin Loiperdinger (ed.), Travelling Cinema in Europe: Sources and Perspectives, Frankfurt am Main, 2008, pp. 169-179