Herbert Matter studied painting at the École des Beaux-Arts in Geneva from 1925 to 1927 and continued his education at the Académie Moderne in Paris under Fernand Léger and Amédée Ozenfant from 1928 to 1929. He collaborated with A.M. Cassandre on posters, worked with Le Corbusier on architecture and display design, and contributed to Deberny & Peignot as a photographer and typographer. In 1932, after returning to Zurich, he created graphic designs and photomontage posters for the Swiss National Tourist Office. Moving to New York in 1936, Matter worked as a freelance photographer for Harper’s Bazaar, Vogue, and other magazines, and designed advertisements for top agencies as well as exhibition displays for the Museum of Modern Art. From 1946 to 1957, Matter was a staff photographer for Conde Nast publications. He also worked as a design and advertising consultant for Knoll Associates and became a partner and vice president of Studio Associates, New York, in 1950.