In accordance with the purpose for which it was founded the DBU (Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt/German Federal Environmental Foundation) subsidises innovative, environmentally conscious, model building projects. The concept for the subsidies also includes financing scientific studies of the respective projects and disseminating these in quality book form. Atelier Gassner was commissioned to devise a concept for an edition consisting of several volumes. The first publication documents the new building for Schmuttertal Gymnasium (high-school): here innovative educational ideas and a participative approach to planning produce unusual spatial systems, ambitious ecological goals direct the construction, and functionality and inspiration shape the architecture. Client and subsidy provider, users and planners, experts for building law and technical services document the creation of this building, augmented by plans and photographs. The editions were deliberately published in German, and the search for a name led to the striking and yet self-explanatory term “Bauband” (literally “building volume”). The challenge was how best to describe and depict complex contents so that they are clearly legible and can be quickly understood. At the same time this book was not intended to be a standard illustrated architectural volume nor a dry treatise with a preponderance of text. Using the tools provided by micro and macro typographical design and making considerable demands on editorial photography the narrative requirements could be successfully met. The plans and diagrams, which were produced especially for this book, provide in-depth information. Through the format alone, the easy to open “Swiss brochure” and the stable card binding, the book suggests a report with the character of a working folder. A colour, which differs from volume to volume, contrasts with the restrained grey that is used for the covers of all the volumes. This striking coloured framework for the book block is reflected in completely coloured pages that separate the chapters and visibly articulate the contents and, when one looks at the cut edge of the closed book, appear like inserted “floor levels”.

This not for profit association pursues the goal of developing a sensitivity for the built environment among children and young people and aims to secure a place for the culture of building in the Swiss educational curriculum. It was founded in 2008 under the name “Spacespot”. Due to its strange phonetic presence, the name Spacespot, like many trendy pseudo-Anglicisms, turned out to be short-lived. Atelier Andrea Gassner was commissioned to create a sustainable and contemporary brand. It was decided that the name for the German and French-language space should indicate what the association does and what can be found on the platform. The name was arrived at in a workshop that was held together with the heads of the association. When the idea for the name was first mentioned the group was immediately delighted with it. It arose in the context of an associative phonetic chain that started with “Archigen” and through the ending “jeunes” suddenly provided the key to a precise meaning: architecture and the art of building for young people

In designing the logotype Atelier Andrea Gassner made a simple yet highly effective intervention in the compactly set name that uses a powerful Antiqua typeface. Omitting the dots above the “i” and the “j” in the new name at the point of contact between two language cultures makes a subtle visual point. Often it is very simple distortions of familiar word images that guarantee brands that are concise and highly memorable.

The region “Walgau” and its transformation by inserting a syllable to create the adjective “genau” (precise, exact). The logo type deliberately uses lower case lettering in order to convey action, playfulness and lightness. The little green ring augments the brand, is a navigation element, an explanatory graphic symbol and much more. The website appeals to teachers and students, distributes learning units, documents results and lives from its simple functionality and interesting contents, often conveyed by means of videos and animated graphics. Today it is the moving image in particular that shapes digital, visual communication.

“Am I a letter or an image?” Behind this question is a game consciously played with perception, or, to put it more precisely, the idea of a tilting image as a label. Our perception of letters conditions us to read signs as codes. Whereas with images it is the forms and colours that occupy the foreground of our perception The prestigiouis Swiss diamond-cutting business “Zipangu” was looking for a suitable trademark that would meet its exacting standards in terms of quality. Linking the letter “Z” to the crystalline form creates the picture of a diamond and a memorable image. By typologically developing the name to the same high standard Atelier Andrea Gassner created an original word-image trademark. The basic graphic design of the appearance and the various applications consistently pursue the aim for an elegant, one could almost say classic image. For example, the stationery was made using special printing stock with raised steel embossing and pop-up cards with individual concepts for portrait and product photography.

The aim and the strategic goal of the initially conceptual commission awarded to Atelier Gassner was to provide contemporary visual communication for the regional capital Bregenz. Several workshops with city officials along with a number of graphic studies resulted in concrete recommendations as regards action to be taken; these included differentiation and organisation of official, cultural and commercial measures and the revitalisation of the existing profile. The characteristic mirroring of the word- and image-mark originally created by Reinhold Luger was deliberately retained in order to exploit its established familiarity. Instead of the screening used previously, the required contrast between light and dark is produced by the difference between the fixed Grotesk typeface and the delicate mirrored Antique. The logotype is formally developed into a robust and easily scalable form. The new appearance is used for a variety of quite different applications and is documented in a design guide. The Markenhandbuch (brand manual) designed by Atelier Andrea Gassner is an exemplary application of creative use of existing design elements. Here theory meets practice, the graphic brand meets the town brand “Bregenz”, the mirrored name encounters its synonymous visualisation in the photographs of the Hafenpromenade. With its concise, convenient format, the brand manual creates a resonance between place and symbols, between the city’s understanding of itself and its public image. The statements, some of them pragmatically formulated, in combination with free photographic impressions aim at bringing the values, meanings, images and stories that make up Bregenz to the point.

The logo is based on the idea of a seal. We are familiar with the seal as a form of certification that conveys commitment, security, and legality. The traditional circular shape, the coat of arms of the Austrian state as a national emblem, a modern font family and the names of three notary’s offices are the ingredients for a strong joint brand architecture. Differentiation is introduced by the different names and colours. Designed as responsive, the websites derive their life from “icons of navigation”. Theme-related illustrations function as a primary interactive guiding element of the graphic user interfaces. The photographs show authentically the personal aspects and the people behind the legal paragraphs Responsive web design means a design concept that is adaptable as regards both illustration and application, from the wide monitor to the small smartphone. And in both landscape and portrait format. In an age in which digital communication increasingly takes place on the smartphone, responsiveness is an important design factor.

For many people, the notary’s office is a “necessary evil” rather than a helpful service point for dealing with important things in life. This cooperation between different notaries takes a new path and presents itself as a modern service business. By creating an intelligent profile Atelier Andrea Gassner shows how contemporary corporate design can clearly convey the qualities of a serious and trustworthy business. The logo based on the idea of a seal. We are familiar with the seal as a form of certification that conveys commitment, security, and legality. The traditional circular shape, the Austrian state coat-of-arms as a national emblem, a modern font family and the names of the three notary’s offices are the ingredients for a strong joint brand architecture. Differentiation is introduced by the different names and colours. The modern visual language for graphic design, typography and photography in both print and web conveys sociability and openness and, at the same time, a sense of seriousness.

The archive of the Abbey of St Gall has long been looking for a contemporary and, from a conservation viewpoint, better way of communicating its unique collection that extends back to the time the monastery was founded. Under Regierungsrat Martin Klöti a project was launched in 2013 that was formally concluded through the ceremonial opening of the new exhibition hall by Bundesrat Alain Berset on 12 April 2019. The title of this semi-permanent exhibition is “Wonders of Tradition. The Plan of St Gall and Europe in the Early Middle Ages”. Alongside the year-round presentation of the Plan of St Gall as a loan from the abbey library, there are also annual exhibitions in which the most valuable objects are changed every four months. The year 2019 is the 1300th anniversary of the founding of the Abbey of St. Gall. On this account the first exhibition is devoted to Abbot Othmar, who founded the monastery. To accompany the respective annual exhibition a series of booklets with the title “Waldo” will be published in print runs of 1000 to 2000. The content is divided into three parts: the theme “Waldo”, the index and contents of the exhibition, and a lecture that reflects the theme of the particular exhibition. Waldo, ** around 740, † 29./30.3.813/814 in the monastery of Saint-Denis near Paris. He most probably came from Mosel-Franconian nobility in the immediate circle of the Carolingians. He worked as Charlemagne’s agent in Alemannia, was abbot in the monasteries of St. Gall, Reichenau and Saint Denis, an educator of princes, Bishop of Pavia and of Basel. We know his handwriting from the 14 St. Gall original documents that date from between 773 and 782. He is regarded as the first archivist of the Abbey of St. Gall who is known by name. On this account this series bears his name.*

HK Architekten was founded in 2018, when Roland Wehinger, Christoph Dünser and Stefan Hiebeler became partners of Hermann Kaufmann. The new website is not just a representative and comprehensive internet page. An integrated data base serves as both a data management and archiving tool and as a project server for current projects.

Atelier Gassner’s corporate design for Lech municipal council has proved its worth over more than 25 years and is widely used: from the letterhead and all the council’s printed material to the signposts throughout the village. The goal was to create a contemporary image that would, however, be independent of the tourism advertising. Alongside the coat of arms derived from heraldry, the basic element of the corporate design is a family of typefaces known as Trinité, a modern Renaissance Antique by Bram de Does. The set of characters comes in three different versions that are distinguished by their different upper and lower lengths. These variables and other coordinated type styles allow precise typographical differentiation for a variety of applications – from the council’s correspondence to the bibliophile typesetting, from the town’s extensive signposting system to its web design. The digital and analogue design for the “Philosophicum Lech” is based on this typeface culture and is connected with a unique image concept. Using microphotography, the theme of the year is expressed by a different kind of plant each year. In this way the “key visual” is renewed year after year, while still remaining a recognisable events label. The website fulfils several functions. It is an archive, advertising for events and at the same time a commuication platform for the organisers of events. The web design ensures a bright, uncluttered website that responds flexibly to the particular end device used, above all smartphones and tablets.