Brettchen

These breakfast/cutting boards made out of melamine made me look and smile. They are by Anstalt, a Zurich based design studio. Order them here. (site is in German only)

M Lamp

Starting february 29th you’ll be able to buy this M Lamp at the M-STARS store. Go MIGROS, this is way cool!

(For those of you that don’t know what MIGROS is: It’s one of the biggest Supermarket (and services beyond) chains in Switzerland. I grew up shopping at MIGROS and these fan-products make me smile.)

swissted

swissted is an ongoing project by NYC based graphic designer Mike Joyce. Drawing from his love of punk rock and Swiss modernism, two movements that have absolutely nothing to do with one another, Mike has redesigned vintage punk, hardcore, and indie rock show flyers into international typographic style posters. Each poster is sized to the standard Swiss kiosk dimensions of 35.5 inches wide by 50 inches high and set in Berthold Akzidenz Grotesk medium, all lowercase. Every single one of these shows actually happened.

(thank you Anne)

Where I am From…


While browsing the new *fantastic* Flipboard iPhone App I stumbled upon a photo essay on on Appenzell Innerrhoden, the place I grew up in Switzerland. (well, I grew up 20minutes from there, but I consider it my home) It’s one of the most charming, greenest places on earth. If you’re into hiking, this is your place.

Appenzell Innerrhoden is the smallest canton of Switzerland by population and the second smallest by area, Basel-City having less area. Wherever you look you see dairy farms which produce the amazing Appenzeller cheese. Next time you go to a cheese shop, ask them for Appenzeller. It’s a super-yumme hard cheese and comes in all kinds of ‘stinkiness levels’, at least in Switzerland. Here in the US I usually am only able to get one kind.

The images are by Jean-Yves Roure.

Caran D’Ache Red Metal Pen

Oh, the (Swiss) memories that just flashed in front of my eyes upon discovering the Caran D’Ache Red Metal Pen over at Kaufmann Mercantile. Trust me, these pens are a pleasure to write with and last forever, as you can refill them easily. Two swissmiss thumbs up!

Back from the Swiss Alps

Yesterday was our first day back in Brooklyn after 9 days in the Swiss Alps. We did a house swap with friends in the Appenzeller mountains and we could not have lived in a more stylish, designy house! (The only thing missing to make this absolutely perfect was an internet connection.) Here are a few impressions of our trip. #happytobeback

view from the Waldegg Restaurant in Teufen

view from the Eggli Restaurant in Appenzell

our amazing house swap living-room (yes, for real)

the completely stunning ‘office’ at our house swap home

yumm

always amazed at how tidy the Swiss keep their silverware arranged.

can’t get over the fact that my mom’s boyfriend owns 3 crocodiles. (seriously)

love this poster of my dad teaching at his former Apple computer school in Switzerland. Gotta love the perm action that’s going on in that picture.

my wonderful friend Martina came visit us from Munich. Here, she is taking in the view.

me speaking at the first TYPO St.Gallen. Thanks to Roland Stieger for the photo.

Typo St.Gallen (Conference)

I am thrilled to be speaking at a small conference near my hometown in Switzerland on saturday november 19th. Typo St.Gallen is focusing on typographic topics and asks the question if there’s still such a thing is typical Swiss typography. If you live close to St.Gallen, consider getting a ticket, there’s only a few left. You should know though that the conference will be held in German. (not sure how that will work out, me presenting in German, should be interesting)

Migros Bag

This bag brings back a lot of childhood memories: It’s the packaging iconography of my favorite ice-cream from when I was a kid in Switzerland.

Retirement Facitlity Signage

This is not your usual wayfinding system. Hat tip to Tina Staeheli for designing this refreshing, minimal signage system for a (fancy) Swiss retirement home.

M Bag

M. Only the Swiss will understand.

(Yes, I am a Migroskind)

How To Work Better

I just stopped over at my friend BB’s blog and had to chuckle upon discovering the-above-oh-so-familiar photo. It’s the »How to Work Better« Mural is by Swiss artists Fischli & Weiss and covers an office building in Zurich-Oerlikon. You can prominently see it from the train when you get into Zurich station.

Wickelfisch

As swimming in rivers is big in Switzerland, the invention of the Wickelfisch makes total sense: The Wickelfisch is a waterproof bag that allows you to take your belongings with you, while you go for a swim. Why would you want to do that? Well, as the stream in a river makes you float away from where you started out it is oftentimes not possible to get back to your belonging all that quickly and easily.

Hat tip off to the designer. At this point you can only get it in selected stores in Switzerland, listed here (all in German). There’s a contact email over here.

(thank you Jaqueline)

Bally meets Eames Chair

To celebrate its 160th anniversary, Swiss Bally has teamed up with Japanese magazine “Openers” and Herman Miller for an exclusive charity project which entails 16 of these stripy Eames chairs. Oh, how much would I love one of these…

Read more over at CielBleu.

Pluï


Now, here’s a charming new water toy for little ones. Immerse Pluï in water to fill up and then use it to create ‘rain’. The key is how you control the flow of water simply by sealing or opening the top nozzle with the tip of your finger. I can see our little Tilo loving this one. It’s called Pluï and was designed by Swiss Johanna Rickenback and Alex Hochstrasser.

(thank you Ueli)

Plama Marble Run

The Marble Run 2d by Bernhard Burkard looks like a fabulous toy for kids and grownups alike. The entire set consists of 12 magnetic colorful shapes. It allows the user to create an infinite variety of paths on any magnetic surface. While the toy is not in use, it cleverly forms a rectangular shape that can act as abstract wall art or beautiful and simple decor.

#wishlisted

FREITAG – F49 FRINGE Backpack

FREITAG – F49 FRINGE Backpack from FREITAG lab. ag on Vimeo.

Wow, this brand-new clip for FREITAG’s F49 FRINGE Back-to-School-Back-Pack made me stop and look. It’s been shot in their factory building in the heart of Zurich. The lighting and overall atmosphere is quite intriguing. They explain their somewhat somber tone in the video in that ‘because there’s no tougher hood than schoolyards, it was tested to the fringe of sadism’. Whoever manages to tear up this backpack clearly should be dispensed from school.

Two thumbs up to the team over at Zwei Hund. Well done!

Oh, and for all of you NYC folks: Did you know that FREITAG opened a store in the Lower East Side? Right across the street from the New Museum! You should go in and say hi to Sascha who runs it!

Play with Trash

These playful floor stickers made me chuckle. It’s an initiative by the city of Lucerne (Switzerland) to get people to notice and use garbage cans. What a fun idea! Hat tip!

(via curious about)

The Printer’s Terms

The Printer’s Terms contains explanations of virtually all printer’s terms of the pre-digital “lead age of typography” in English, German and French. Designed by legendary Swiss Rudolf Hostettler.

KartonKlunker

KARTONKLUNKER is an assembly set of a cardboard chandelier. You read right, a cardboard chandelier. Thankfully there is no glue or any other tools necessary to assemble this beauty of a ceiling mounted lighting source.

KARTONKLUNKER is the first lamp by Rainer & Tobiad Kyburz, creating a playful contrast between the ordinary cardboard material and the luxurious object of a chandelier. It’s a Swiss product, through and through; designed, produced and boxed up in Basel, Switzerland.

I don’t know about you, but this chandelier made me smile. Two swissmiss thumbs up! Oh, and watch the assembly video below:

KARTONKLUNKER from Claudia Link on Vimeo.

Bench Wildhaus

Oh my, I have flashbacks of my Swiss childhood looking at this bench. How good would this look in our studio? (spreading arms wide) SOOO good!

Reversible

images by michaelsieber.com

Reversible is one of the latest inventions of Swiss Nicola Staubli. Reversible consists of steel tubes and fabric than can be assembled into four different seats. By flipping over the rear legs, the chair transforms into a lounge chair and vice versa. The reversible cover, tensed and wrapped around the steel frame, offers two color variations that fit both positions. Brilliant? I think so!

Leggero Vento

I noticed quite a few of these stunning looking kids caddies called Vento, when I was in Switzerland last summer. Aren’t they just beautiful to look at? Given the big grins of little ones sitting in them, it seems as if they’re comfy to ride on. What I find particularly awesome is that it has a dual purpose: attach it to the bike or push it like a stroller.

MStars

If you’ve traveled to Switzerland, you most likely know what the ubiquitous uppercase orange M stands for you see everywhere. It’s Migros, one of the biggest supermarket chains in Switzerland. (Well, at this point, it’s way more than a supermarket, they own banks, schools, amusement parks and so on.) Living abroad has amplified my fascination with products that remind me of my childhood. Whenever I go back, one of my first stops is indeed a trip to Migros. Knowing that, it’s clear that I get quite a kick out of Migros’ m-stars.ch site on which they sell all kinds of apparel and accessories with their store branding or products. Pictured above are the classic Milk packaging water bottle, the classic Midor strawberry ice cream packaging translated into a shopping bag, the M logo big and bold on a t-shirt and an M jumper.

I guess you have to be a Migros-Nostalgic like me to really appreciate this: m-stars.ch

swissmiss on Aeschbacher

A few hours ago today’s Kurt Aeschbacher show aired on Swiss TV. I had the incredible honor to be one of his four guests.

If you don’t speak Swiss-German, I am afraid you won’t understand all that much, but hey, I am saying an English word here an there! I admit, I am all giddy. I watched the Aeschbacher show growing up and I am incredibly flattered that my story qualified me as one of his guests.

Aeschbacher vom 31.03.2011