Auguste Théophile Ballmer was born in Basel. In the city, he trained as a draftsman and studied under Ernst Keller at the Zurich Kunstgewerbeschule. Ballmer began professional work as a designer for Hoffmann-La Roche in 1926. In his years at the company, Ballmer became acquainted with a number of avant-garde contemporaries, including Hannes Meyer.
In 1928, Ballmer enrolled in the Bauhaus, then under the direction of Meyer. At the school, he studied photography under Walter Peterhans. Ballmer left the Bauhaus in 1930, motivated by his left-leaning political beliefs. Ballmer is best known for his political poster designs, produced directly after his departure from the school. The works are characterized by their use of red and black linocut silhouettes and leftist messages.
In 1931, Ballmer joined the faculty of the Allgemeine Gewerbeschule Basel, where he taught photography and design. Ballmer remained associated with the school until his death in 1965. After 1930, Ballmer additionally worked for a number of corporate clients; among the work he produced in this capacity is the logo for the Basel municipal authority.
In the mid 1940s, Ballmer and his contemporary, Max Bill, pioneered a new style of graphic design characterized by the use of photography, sans serif typefaces, and logical arrangement of elements. The work produced by the two designers in this period proved foundational to the later emergence of the International Typographic Style.
© 2020. All content on this blog is protected by international copyright laws All images are copyrighted © by Théo Ballmer or assignee. Apart from fair dealing for the purpose of private study, research, criticism or review as permitted under the Copyright Act, the use of any image from this site is prohibited unless prior written permission is obtained. All images used for illustrative purposes only
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| 1918–30, font “Theo Ballmer”, dimensioned font type A |
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| 1920, Kantonal Schützenfest Basel |
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| 1920-29, Hammer and sickle |
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| 1928-30, Movement, recording, work step, motion pictures |
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| 1928, Bureau Bale |
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| 1928, Büro (Office) (Poster for a Basel office design exhibition) |
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| 1928, logo studies on housing |
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| 1928, Neues Bauen (New Building) |
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| 1928, Norm (Poster for an exhibition of Swiss industrial design at the Kunstgewerbemuseum Zürich) |
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| 1929, Light Bulb |
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| 1930 Chairs (double exposure); Der Stern (Star cookie) |
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| 1930-31, Spectacles and construction Still Life |
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| 1930-31, Ohne Titel |
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| 1930–32, brand designs for Bonbon Merz |
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| 1930–32, final artwork mark Bonbon Merz |
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| 1930, Logo A for Kaller, hat and men's fashion |
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| 1930, poster designs for Kallers, hat and men's fashion |
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| 1930, poster drafts, voting slogan - Against the birth constraint |
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| 1930, study of a crumpled newspaper (set of 10) |
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| 1930s Swiss Propaganda Election Poster |
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| 1936, 5000 Jahre Schrift |
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| 1939 letterhead, wallpaper Giger, Zurich |
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| 1939–40, envelope C6 5, Department of Education Basel-Stadt |
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| 1939–40, logo design variants, Basel City Department of Education |
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| 1939, logo designs for Giger wallpaper, Zurich |
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| 1953, New Orleans Jazz festival |
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| Posters |
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| Posters |
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| Poster |
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| Posters |
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| Poster |
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| The New Typography poster |
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