Guests at the SNB: Gold, Money, Happiness

In Switzerland, almost everyone has a bank account to fall back on — even if banking secrecy is faltering, as humorously illustrated by a successful campaign by Appenzeller Käse GmbH. Money is one of life’s major issues and at the same time a big taboo. In the post-war years, when many people were struggling to make ends meet, things were different, as photorealistic posters by Basel designers Peter Birkhäuser and Herbert Leupin as part of their 1945 advertising campaign for trading stamps reveal. Using selected examples, the poster exhibition provides insights into the development of Swiss consumer society.

Since 2000, the windows of the Swiss National Bank in the heart of Zurich have been displaying thematically selected posters from the rich holdings of the Museum für Gestaltung’s poster collection. The posters are viewable in the groundfloor windows along the Stadthausquai, Börsenstrasse, and Fraumünsterstrasse.