29 Dec 2019
Museum fĂĽr Gestaltung (Museum for Design)
Ausstellungsstrasse, Zurich
Switzerland 🇨đź‡
Exhibition - SBB CFF FFS
3.8.2019 – 5.1.2020
Curator- Andres Janser
Clothing and Equipment / Kleidung und Geräte / el Vêtements et appareils :
The staff uniforms, the station manager’s signaling disc, and the red shoulder bags worn by the train conductors are part of the SBB’s appearance; these kinds of mostly anonymous designs gave the railway a face early on. As part of the new look, Ruth Grüninger updated the uniforms in the 1980s.
Beginning in the early 1950s, the Schweizerische Speisewagengesellschaft also offered service at the passengers’ seats. At times, in addition to the snack cart, there was also a newspaper cart for travelers intellectual well-being.
SBB CFF FFS Exhibition Details :
Switzerland is a country of railways and has the busiest rail network in the world. For over a century, the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) have ensured a high level of mobility and have shaped public life in large parts of the country. Their stations and trains are striking and internationally renowned signs of public transport. Their high-quality design, which is part of careful branding, makes the national railway company an outstanding example of Swiss design history. For the first time, an exhibition will comprehensively present SBB’s achievements in the fields of architecture, industrial design, and visual communication. Original objects, photographs, posters, video installations, and a model railway invite visitors on a journey through time—from the company’s beginnings to tomorrow’s mobility.
Since its founding in 1902 the Schweizerische Bundesbahnen (SBB, Swiss Federal Railways) has become an integral part of daily life in large parts of the country. The SBB is a distinctive symbol of public transport and plays a crucial role in the fact that today Switzerland's rail network has the highest density of traffic in Europe.
With its internationally renowned buildings and trains, the SBB is an outstanding exam- ple of Swiss design history. In its early days, it significantly changed the landscape with the electrification of the rail network. In the years of the economic upturn after 1945, rail traffic doubled within a short time. How- ever, automotive traffic increased even more, and airplanes became an additional source of competition.
Since then, the SBB has continuously improved and expanded its offerings, and has also strived to create a comprehensive brand identity. This ranges from major new lines and stations to the rolling stock, uni-forms, advertising posters, and travelcard covers. The passenger information system makes it easier for travelers to find their way and is a common visual element that is now also used by other railway companies. The same is true of the integrated timetable, which further contributes to the environmental sustainability of rail travel as a means of mass transit.
Railway design is long-lived and usually not fashionable - and yet an expression of its time. For the first time, this exhibition presents the most important achievements of the SBB in the fields of architecture, industrial design, and visual communication. Anonymous designs stand alongside the work of renowned creators.
Museum and Exhibition - museum-gestaltung.ch/en/ausstellung/sbb-cff-ffs/
Exhibition Trailer - Trailer «SBB CFF FFS»