Kurt Wirth

Swissair DC-7C Seven Seas, 1956

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Kurt Wirth was born in Bern in 1917 and studied graphics from 1933 to 1936. He  opened his illustration studio in 1937, working with newspapers and magazines. His first exhibition took place in 1943. In 1951, he traveled to Paris, southern France, and Italy, expanding his work to include posters for Swissair, exhibitions, and tourism. From 1956 to 1959, he led the Association of Swiss Graphic Designers. In 1960, he resumed art and study trips to various countries and designed book covers for Fischer editions, posters for pharmaceutical companies, and wrote a drawing manual in 1965.

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Swissair DC-7C Seven Seas, 1956. Designed by Kurt Wirth, assisted by Paul Beer.
Swissair DC-7C Seven Seas, 1956. Designed by Kurt Wirth, assisted by Paul Beer.
Swissair DC-7C Seven Seas, 1956. Designed by Kurt Wirth, assisted by Paul Beer.
Swissair DC-7C Seven Seas, 1956. Designed by Kurt Wirth, assisted by Paul Beer.
Swissair DC-7C Seven Seas, 1956. Designed by Kurt Wirth, assisted by Paul Beer.
Swissair DC-7C Seven Seas, 1956. Designed by Kurt Wirth, assisted by Paul Beer.

Swissair DC-7C Seven Seas, 1956 - Kurt Wirth
Swissair DC-7C Seven Seas, 1956 – Kurt Wirth
Kurt Wirth was born in Bern in 1917 and studied graphics from 1933 to 1936. He  opened his illustration studio in 1937, working with newspapers and magazines. His first exhibition took place in 1943. In 1951, he traveled to Paris, southern France, and Italy, expanding his work to include posters for Swissair, exhibitions, and tourism. From 1956 to 1959, he led the Association of Swiss Graphic Designers. In 1960, he resumed art and study trips to various countries and designed book covers for Fischer editions, posters for pharmaceutical companies, and wrote a drawing manual in 1965.
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Ken was born in 1929, in Southampton and grew up in a small market town in North Devon. He was a principled man, with strong values and views against the hyper-consumerism we live with today. Ken studied at the London Central School of Arts and Crafts in the 1950s and was taught by Herbert Spencer, Anthony Froshaug and Jesse Collins. Whilst at the School he studied alongside designers Ken Briggs, Alan Fletcher and Colin Forbes.

Members Content

“Der Druckspiegel” typographic supplement May 5, 1967, was focused on a selection of the winning entries from Die besten Plakate des Jahres featuring over fifty winning entries.
Last month (March 2022), I spoke to over fifty Graphic Design undergraduates about the archive and my passion for design history, after which the students had full access to items in the collection and participated in discourse amongst their peers and lecturers. As part of their critical studies unit, the students will be producing essays and content related to the impact, history and aesthetics of selected artefacts.

Members Content

The best poster designs from Die besten Plakate des Jahres 1956 with a translated foreword by Jakob Rudolf Welti. Featuring the work of Herbert Leupin, Carl B. Graf, Carlo Vivarelli and Emil Ruder.