Every session on three evenings, we have a variety of guest lectures from fantastic Swiss designers. This is a great opportunity for the participants to get to know different aspects of typography and poster design.
These presentations are usually analog with physical examples. Because the setting is intimate, there is plenty of room to ask questions and get to know the designers, their projects, thoughts, and processes. And because the Typographic Printing Program is all about having a good time, the talks mostly end at the local kebab restaurant to really ask all the questions you might have.
Last year, among others, Jiri Oplatek and Balmer Hählen joined the groups to show their work.
Jiri Oplatek is based in Basel and co-founder of the studio Claudiabasel. He brought a large selection of stunning F4 posters he has been working on for various cultural institutions and events over the past few years. His posters have a strong focus on typography and are mostly produced with silkscreen printing. He told us about his design process and how it doesn’t end with a PDF because of all the factors you have to consider when using silkscreen printing. He also talked about his early career and how his first long-term poster client gave him freedom to explore and develop himself and how series for long-term clients evolved.
Priscilla Balmer and Yvo Hählen of Balmer Hählen came all the way from Lausanne to Näfels. They also brought a large number of great physical typographic posters and print products, which they have been working on since they founded their studio in 2013. Their work is strongly influenced by a very structured use of typography, their choice of materials, production possibilities, and above all their curiosity to try out complicated new techniques and push the limits of their producers. They showed us their final printed products, but also how the (sometimes messy and rough) sketches of their first thoughts or iterations of testing turned into these fantastic final haptic results.
Thank you, Jiri, Priscilla and Yvo for joining the program. It was truly inspiring!
And for those who don’t know them—check out their work: Jiri Oplatek (Website, Instagram), Balmer Hählen (Website, Instagram)