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.*

The new SWG production hall in Waldenburg is a pioneering industrial building in which timber is used for the load-bearing structure. With its brass-coloured perforated metal skin the new building seems like an UFO that has landed in a grey industrial European landscape. In fact, it is in the interior that the corporate architecture is fully revealed. The brand new wood-based material »BauBuche« was innovatively used for the rods and the joints of the powerful and yet finely articulated structure in veneer layer look combined with solid cross-laminated spruce panels with a quality finish. The whole (including the composite wood and timber ceiling slabs) is held together by the product that is manufactured in this building: the well-known Assy screws. In terms of geometry the screw is a curve that extends as it turns around an axis. When screwed into a building element it locks with the material, ensuring a strong and durable connection. The brochure was published by SWG itself to mark the formal opening of the new SWG production centre in Waldenburg. The inserted tracing paper pages are particularly striking: at the beginning and end of the brochure in the form of panorama pages with depictions of materials they give an X-ray view of a joint along with the inner life of all the screws. Both visually and haptically these pages refer to planning and conceptual work and to innovative decisions and developments.

Behind the term »spatial planning« there is planning work that often has wide-reaching, for individuals occasionally drastic, consequences. The Department of Spatial Planning and Building Law from the Office of the Vorarlberg State Government wishes to awaken and strengthen an awareness and understanding of spatial planning and regional development among those with an interest in this theme and those who hold positions of responsibility. Atelier Andrea Gassner designs magazines that people like to take into their hands and browse through and that repeatedly lead them to immerse themselves in the depths of the texts. The high design quality of text-heavy and complex contents is not a product of chance. Behind this is plenty of experience in the bibliophilic design of books of quality along with constant close examination of the respective contents. The printing material and the kind of binding alone distinguish the annual journal from the usual kinds of printed matter. The requirements for the cover, section pages, beginning and end scenarios that are defined in the basic concept ensure the requisite tension. The typography, print space, and image grid meet the demands of good legibility and clarity. The communicative use of cartography, ortho-photos, diagrams, and explanatory graphics as well as pictorial representation is a special part of the whole. This includes editorial photo-briefing and, for some themes, the photographic implementation itself.

Hinter dem Wort »Raumplanung« versteckt sich eine planerische Arbeit mit oft weitreichenden, für Einzelne mitunter einschneidenden Konsequenzen. Die Abteilung Raumplanung und Baurecht vom Amt der Vorarlberger Landesregierung möchte das Interesse und Verständnis für Raumplanung und Regionalentwicklung bei Interessierten und Verantwortlichen wecken und stärken. Im Rahmen eines Wettbebwebs präsentierte das Atelier Andrea Gassner eine Strategie, die mit verschiedenen Medien operiert: das Jahresjournal zur Themensetzung, verknüpft mit vertiefenden Fachdiskursen sowie einer Wanderausstellung auf groß dimensionierten Litfaßsäulen für eine kooperative Öffentlichkeitsarbeit in einzelnen Gemeinden. Das Jahresjournal ist als Fachmedium konzipiert und verfolgt ein Thema über zwei Jahre. Die beiden Journale ergänzen sich. Das erste Heft erscheint jeweils im Herbst und öffnet den planerischen Blick, das zweite folgt im Frühjahr und lenkt den Fokus im Sinne des »best practice« auf die Vorarlberger Gemeinden und Regionen. Mit den parallel dazu durchgeführten Planerwerkstätten und Foren wird das Thema in einem anderen, dialogischen Format aufgegriffen. Das Atelier Andrea Gassner gestaltet Magazine die gerne in die Hand genommen, gerne angeschaut werden und immer wieder verleiten, in die Tiefe der Texte zu tauchen. Das hohes Level in der Gestaltung textlastiger und komplexer Inhalte kommt nicht von ungefähr. Dahinter verbergen sich eine große Erfahrung in der bibliophilen Gestaltung anspruchsvoller Buchwerke und die konsequente Befassung mit den jeweiligen Inhalten. Schon der Bedruckstoff und die Bindeart unterscheidet das Jahresjournal von üblichen Drucksachen. Die im Basiskonzept festgelegten Vorgaben für Cover, Rubrikseiten, Ein- und Ausstiegsszenarien sorgen für den erwünschten Spannungsbogen. Typografie, Satzspiegel und Bildraster folgen dem Anspruch guter Lesbarkeit und Übersichtlichkeit. Ein besonderer Part ist die kommunikative Nutzung von Kartografie, Orthofotos, Diagramm- und Erklärgrafiken sowie der bildlichen Darstellung. Dazu zählt das redaktionelle Fotobriefing und, für einzelnen Themen, die fotografische Umsetzung selbst.

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”.

The poster LICHT (LIGHT) was made in the context of the scenographic exhibition for the regional craft cooperative in the Werkraumhaus (architect Peter Zumthor), which we also designed. Light is first revealed by shadow. As key visual for the exhibition and as 3D facade lettering, Andrea Gassner’s graphical interpretation of this statement follows this principle consistently. The lettering visible at the top is back-to-front and upside-down. It is the shadows cast that first make LICHT legible.

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 book is more than just a corporate publishing project. On a total of 288 pages it not only shows the exciting results of work carried out over the last 20 years but also presents in a highly impressive way the paths and processes that led to these results. The book describes the work of the Atelier, which has achieved recognition beyond the region, along with the design approaches taken and the consistent orientation on the contents and the communication aims. The 15 projects presented illustrate spatial and graphic design that focuses on applied communication – book design and scenography, signage and facade graphics. The book itself is a testimony to the creative work. The cover recalls a concrete façade graphic design on the theme of skin and surface and surprises our perception in that it shows what first becomes visible through the relationship between two different surfaces. The challenge of presenting the medium book in a book is successfully met by, on the one hand, placing the illustrations on the pages almost as facsimiles so that, for the viewer, a further interference between reality and representation develops. On the other hand the “filmic” sequence of the wrap and the dramaturgy of the book’s design are shown at a single glance in miniature illustrations. The descriptions provide information about the various design approaches taken by the team, about interesting sources, and about different ways of engaging with the creative process. Alberto Alessi, Walter Bohatsch, Köbi Gantenbein, Otto Kapfinger and Roland Jörg wrote the accompanying texts. Architect Alberto Alessi writes in his essay: “The work of Atelier Gassner is a demonstration of this deeper spatial perception. The goal of their work is to convey a value and not just formal results.”

The art book seems ethereal, as delicate as the artist’s abstract work cycles themselves. The reproductions on smooth but uncoated natural paper are restrained, they deliberately do not present any exaggerated contrasts. The book core begins and ends with a thin material, almost like tissue paper, which provides a fine tonal and tactile contrast to the rest of the paper. Its light transparency means that the large depictions of the drawings are overlaid polyphonically. The book cover is covered with gauze that is printed on the back. The cover image extends from the title across the spine to the back cover. It is a concept sketch for the biographical work “Einschnitte”. Opaqueness is consciously addressed, not just in the artist’s work or in the book core itself, but even on the cover.

The two-volume edition is based on the four original travel diaries of the St. Gallen monks, which had already been addressed in the exhibition describing the grand tour to Rome from the period 1696 – 1749. Whereas volume one deals with the entire journey of the four monks to Rome, volume 2 describes the stay in Rome and Naples as well as the return journey. Originally written in Latin, the diaries were translated into German and Italian. Facsimile pages of the diaries in the original size, printed on thin opaque paper, which are bound in the middle of the book, represent a bibliophile specialty. The columns of text are shifted towards the middle of the book forming a narrow gutter margin and leaving wide outer margins. The publishers commented upon and augmented the text lavishly with quotations, text references or full versions of names. In the volume “Itinera Italica I” we used a deep indigo blue as a decorative and distinction color, for “Itinera Italica II” a dark porphyry red. The hard covers are also lined with material in these colors. The handwritten pages of the diaries, which are printed with a low light-dark contrast, display a discretion that is intended as a reference to monastic secrecy – at the time only the abbot was initially allowed to read the diaries.