Hansruedi Scheller – Signaletikpionier

His work shaped community, sports and shopping centers, school buildings, hospitals, indoor swimming pools, residential complexes, multi-story car parks, barracks and conference hotels – often designed by renowned architects. Scheller’s graphic work not only helped to guide visitors, but it also made them feel comfortable in buildings of a size that was still new at the time. He helped shape the beginnings of signage systems and information graphics as a discipline with his pioneering work.

Scheller’s name and his contribution to graphics and building history faded into obscurity as time passed. It was the discovery of his estate that gave rise to this publication. The book takes a fresh look at a time when large buildings became so complex that architects could no longer do without orientation support in the form of graphic design. It thus sheds light on an aspect of late modern architecture that has so far received little attention. Scheller’s interventions show both the qualities, but also the problems of signage. They show that signage is part of architecture and must not be overlooked when maintaining it.

Hansruedi Scheller, who was also an accomplished orienteer, summarized his vast experience into a few rules that still hold true today. Thomas Bruggisser, who did his apprenticeship at Atelier Scheller, was able to reconstruct them, giving this publication the character of a textbook – illustrated with Scheller’s original photographs from the early days of signage.

Ruedi Weidmann (born 1966) studied economic and social history in Zurich and Berlin with a focus on building history and urban development. From 1995 to 1997, he was an editor at the press photo agency Keystone, Zurich, and from 2000 to 2014, he was an editor at the specialist journal Tec21. Since 2006, he is a partner at Häusler + Weidmann, Zurich, focusing on books, exhibitions, inventories, texts, editing, photography, guided tours, events and advice in the areas of building culture, social, industrial and transport history, monument preservation, settlement and town development.
 
Thomas Bruggisser completed the preliminary course at the Schule für Gestaltung Zürich SfGZ (1989–1990) and an apprenticeship as a graphic designer with Hansruedi Scheller in Zurich (1990–1994). Since then, he has been working as a freelance graphic designer in Zurich and has been responsible for numerous publications and book-related events (Dezember Bücher).