From Il Mare and Failan to On the Occasion of Remembering the Turning Gate, Oasis, Bad Guy, Do You Like Spring Bear?, and My Beautiful Girl, Mari, these Korean films and animations share a subtle yet undeniable resemblance in their posters. This shared quality seems to stem from the typography—delicate yet captivating title logos that perfectly harmonize with the imagery.
Swiss Design Journey is a book by typography designer Park Woo-hyuk, who crafted the logotypes for these films. The book recounts his two years at the Basel School of Design, capturing everything he saw, heard, and experienced. Through vibrant photographic documentation, it showcases Switzerland’s design landmarks, such as Schaulager, Vitra, and Art Basel, along with typographic works by Armin Hofmann and Emil Ruder. Park also highlights the beauty of Swiss passports and trash bags, currency adorned with four languages, and streets filled with red crosses during carnival season—providing glimpses into the origins of the iconic “Made in Swiss” design ethos.
The book offers a candid look at typography lectures at the Basel School of Design, his meeting with Wolfgang Weingart, and the camaraderie shared with international friends united by a common dream. It also delves into the reality of studying design in Switzerland, a topic that often draws curiosity. As Park notes in his introduction, while the picturesque landscapes and high cost of living are often discussed, they do not define life in Switzerland. For him, the essence of Swiss design—or the “Swiss style”—was found in moments like discovering the Tinguely Museum during a quiet Sunday walk along the Rhine, encountering Josef Müller-Brockmann’s signage for Swiss Railways at a rural station, and grappling with tiny type during eight-hour typography sessions.
The book itself is a testament to Park’s design sensibilities. The cover, with its sophisticated title logo reminiscent of a film poster, features a yellow backdrop punctuated by the blue Swiss sky. Opening the book reveals a red Swiss cross motif with a map of Switzerland, setting the stage for Park’s sweet and bittersweet tales of authentic Swiss experiences, much like the syrup-laced beer he discovered at a local pub near school.
Though widely recognized for his film poster logos, Park identifies himself as a “typographer and graphic designer.” His passion for bookmaking is evident in his studio’s name, Type.Pa9e, a fusion of “Type” (typography) and “Page” (a book’s core element). In this visually and content-rich book, Park showcases his boundless curiosity, talent, and dedication to design.
