Mid-Century Modern vs Swiss

ミッドセンチュリー・モダン / スイス・スタイル

Mid-Century Modern comes from Retro and Swiss from Functionalism. Both are read here as style. They are reached for with some of the same intent, which is where they get confused.

Mid-Century Modern

Mid-Century Modern — Charles and Ray Eames《Lounge Chair》1956 — Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 2.0Mid-Century Modern — Charles and Ray Eames《LCW》1945, ホノルル美術館 — Wikimedia Commons / CC0Mid-Century Modern — Case Study House #21（Pierre Koenig）— Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 2.0

Adds hand-felt curves and warmth to rational geometry.

Swiss

Swiss — Josef Müller-Brockmann《Beethoven》ポスター 1955 — Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0Swiss — Josef Müller-Brockmann《Musica Viva》ポスター — Wikimedia Commons / Public domainSwiss — Josef Müller-Brockmann《der Film》ポスター — Wikimedia Commons / Public domain

Puts order front and center and makes the information itself the protagonist.

Mid-Century ModernSwiss
Era1940s–1960s1950s–
FamilyRetroFunctionalism
KindStyleStyle
CuesOrganic shapes / Calm warm colors / Succinct illustration / Diagonal movementStrict grid / Sans-serif type / Asymmetry / Objective photography
Best used forBalancing friendliness with intelligence · Building contexts of living, furniture and cultureMaking complex information fast to read · Giving an organization rationality and transparency
TypeA rounded sans-serifNeutral sans-serif; be bold with size contrast
CompositionAsymmetric yet stable balance12-column grid, left-aligned, asymmetric
MaterialMustard, teal, textures of wood and paperWhite space and objective photographs; almost no ornament
CautionDon't pile up retro props. Fit the forms to today's information structure.Too much tidiness turns anonymous. Keep one strong jump in scale.

Put these two together

Retro ／ Functionalism

IndexStyle