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. 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《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