Pre-digital

A small grey box from the Californian Palo Alto stands for probably the most radical change in the history of graphic design. In 1984, the age of desktop publishing was heralded with the introduction of Apple Macintosh. Initially still modest in quality and smiled at by many, it didn't take long for the new digital design process to establish itself across the industry. After a few years, drawing tables, gluing utensils or Letraset letters looked like relics from the past. Processes established over many decades were suddenly completely obsolete. The digitalisation that is still feared by many industries today – it took over the field of graphic design more than three decades ago.

As many designers rushed into the new possibilities and analogue processes were not shed a tear over, certain craftsmanship skills disappeared from the industry. But the dependence on expensive service providers, time-consuming tasks requiring great diligence and limited reproduction possibilities were challenges that often led to particularly unusual and unique visual solutions. The period up to 1984 was certainly an exciting one in the history of graphic design.

The exhibition Pre-digital presents poster design from the time before the computer became designers’ most used device. For the first time, original designs by graphic artists such as Werner Jeker, Bruno Monguzzi, Ralph Schraivogel and Niklaus Troxler are presented to the public. The exhibition also offers an insight into the world of analogue tools, from sketches and montages to fine-drawing.