Swiss in CSS: animating the International Typographic Style

Ben Moss.
January 13, 2016
Swiss in CSS: animating the International Typographic Style.
There’s probably no style and technology that are quite as well paired as the International Typographic Style and CSS. When Detroit-based designer Jon Yablonski was looking for a way to flex his front-end muscles without client restraints, he decided to try and recreate some classic International Typographic Style posters, in CSS and vanilla JavaScript.

See the Pen Zürich Tonhalle (1955) by Jon Yablonski (@jonyablonski) on CodePen.

The inherently grid-based, almost Atomic Design-like, nature of the International Typographic Style lends itself perfectly to the rectilinear bias of CSS.
The solution for each poster was the same…Break the poster into smaller parts, take one step at a time recreating the layers, then experiment with different keyframe animations, timing-functions, and durations until it all feels right.
The recreated posters include work by Josef Müller-Brockmann, Hans Neuburg, and Pierre Keller, and range from the 1950s to the 1970s.

See the Pen Juni Festwochen Zürich (1959) by Jon Yablonski (@jonyablonski) on CodePen.

The International Typographic Style, also referred to as Swiss Style, but often now associated with 1980s corporate America, was popularized by Swiss designers in the mid-twentieth century. As World War II raged around it, Switzerland remained neutral, and its designers benefited from almost a decade of highly insular, highly focused design exploration; the result was the rational, ordered grids that we still employ today. Yablonski’s interpretations don’t just reproduce the posters, he’s animated them in such a way as to emphasize their spirit and complexity; we can see that the mid-century masterpieces are far from simple. Minimalist without being minimal they are as dynamic and inventive as anything in the history of graphic design.

See the Pen Konstruktive Grafik by Jon Yablonski (@jonyablonski) on CodePen.

See the Pen Canadian Broadcasting Corp. Annual Report by Jon Yablonski (@jonyablonski) on CodePen.

See the Pen Ausstellung Eidgenössisches Kunststipendium by Jon Yablonski (@jonyablonski) on CodePen.

See the Pen Akari by Jon Yablonski (@jonyablonski) on CodePen.

See the Pen Berlin-Layout by Jon Yablonski (@jonyablonski) on CodePen.

See the Pen Tonhalle-Quartett by Jon Yablonski (@jonyablonski) on CodePen.

See the Pen Zürich-Tonhalle (1958) by Jon Yablonski (@jonyablonski) on CodePen.

Ben Moss

Ben Moss has designed and coded work for award-winning startups, and global names including IBM, UBS, and the FBI. When he’s not in front of a screen he’s probably out trail-running.

Read Next

3 Essential Design Trends, December 2023

While we love the holidays, too much of a seasonal theme can get overwhelming. Thankfully, these design trends strike a…

10 Easy Ways to Make Money as a Web Designer

When you’re a web designer, the logical way to make money is designing websites; you can apply for a job at an agency,…

The 10 Most Hated Fonts of All Time

Remember when Comic Sans wasn’t the butt of the jokes? Long for the days when we actually enjoyed using the Impact…

15 Best New Fonts, November 2023

2023 is almost over, and the new fonts are still coming thick and fast. This month, we’ve found some awesome variable…

Old School Web Techniques Best Forgotten

When the web first entered the public consciousness back in the 90s, it was primarily text-based with minimal design…

20 Best New Websites, November 2023

As the nights draw in for the Northern hemisphere, what better way to brighten your day than by soaking up some design…

30 Amazing Chrome Extensions for Designers and Developers

Searching for a tool to make cross-platform design a breeze? Desperate for an extension that helps you figure out the…

Exciting New Tools for Designers, November 2023

We’ve got a mix of handy image helpers, useful design assets, and clever productivity tools, amongst other treats. Some…

The Dangers of Doomscrolling for Designers and How to Break Free

As a creative professional, navigating the digital realm is second nature to you. It’s normal to follow an endless…

From Image Adjustments to AI: Photoshop Through the Years

Remember when Merriam-Webster added Photoshop to the dictionary back in 2008? Want to learn how AI is changing design…

3 Essential Design Trends, November 2023

In the season of giving thanks, we often think of comfort and tradition. These are common themes with each of our three…

30 Obsolete Technologies that will Perplex Post-2000s Kids

Remember the screech of dial-up internet? Hold fond memories of arcade machines? In this list, we’re condensing down 30…