A Homage to Walter Ballmer

Swiss graphic designer Walter Ballmer (1923–2011) set off for Milan in 1947 never to return. The city was then the powerhouse of both Italy’s postwar economic boom and avant-garde modernism. In the late 1950s, Adriano Olivetti hired Ballmer for the company’s communications department. There, over the coming decades, Ballmer designed iconic posters visualizing Olivetti’s commitment to a new, ethical, corporate philosophy. Often conceived in series, these works are dominated by the interplay of graphic design and photography. 1975 saw Ballmer design an impressive series with purely typographic compositions against alternating plain backgrounds. On the occasion of his centenary, the museum honors Walter Ballmer with a small presentation of 14 posters.