SNSF | P3 Research Database | Publication Speaking Italian with a Swiss-German Accent: Walter Ballmer and Swiss Graphic Design in Milan

Publication

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Speaking Italian with a Swiss-German Accent: Walter Ballmer and Swiss Graphic Design in Milan

Type of publication	Peer-reviewed
Publikationsform	Original article (peer-reviewed)

Author	Barbieri Chiara, Fornari Davide,
Project	Swiss Graphic Design and Typography Revisited

Type of publication

Peer-reviewed

Publikationsform

Original article (peer-reviewed)

Author

Barbieri Chiara, Fornari Davide,

Project

Swiss Graphic Design and Typography Revisited

Show all

Original article (peer-reviewed)

Journal	Design Issues
Volume (Issue)	37(1)
Page(s)	26 - 41
Title of proceedings	Design Issues
DOI	10.1162/desi_a_00622

Open Access

URL	https://direct.mit.edu/desi/article/37/1/26/94943/Speaking-Italian-with-a-Swiss-German-Accent-Walter
Type of Open Access	Publisher (Gold Open Access)

URL

https://direct.mit.edu/desi/article/37/1/26/94943/Speaking-Italian-with-a-Swiss-German-Accent-Walter

Type of Open Access

Publisher (Gold Open Access)

Abstract

The article employs Walter Ballmer's experience as a Swiss graphic designer working in Milan in the second half of the twentieth century as a case study to think about national design discourses outside national borders, show their constructed nature, and explore their impact on individual lives and careers. Drawing on primary sources collected in the archive and through interviews, it maps out the socio-cultural network that gave meaning to Swiss graphic design and questions how this was perceived, understood, and performed in a specific time and place by Ballmer, his assistants, the broader graphic design community, and his clients.