Otto Baumberger (1889–1961) is one of the most important graphic designers in Switzerland and is often considered the “spiritual father” of the Swiss poster. For more than 40 years, he produced about 250 posters for the tourism, culture, politics and advertising industries.
Posters designed by Otto Baumberger in the 1910s
Baumberger’s creative activities were not limited to graphic design, he was also a painter, a scenographer and an art teacher. In its diversity, Otto Baumberger’s work embodies the history of the Swiss poster in the first half of the 20th century. In his posters, he seeks the most appropriate solutions to convey the message to the public. His tourist posters for Switzerland’s major cities depict a luminous environment where nature is at one with man, which does not disturb the tranquillity of the moment captured by the artist. The cities are set back to show the viewer the beauty of a lake and a mountain in the background.
Baumberger is also one of the precursors of the Sachplakat (object posters); his PKZ coat (circa 1923) being one of the icons of this graphic movement; of the typographic poster and of the International Swiss Style (Brak liqueur (1937), Neue Zürcher Zeitung (1928)).
Here below is a set of impressive posters designed by Otto Baumberger in the 1910s.
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