Winter Air Service | DC-2 of Swiss Air Lines

Undoubtedly the most impressive—and most dynamic—of Herbert Matter’s original posters (1907–1984)—designed on commission from the former Swiss Travel Center (presumably as part of a collaboration with Swissair, or Swiss Air Lines as it was then known)—to promote Switzerland as a winter destination that—in keeping with the times—could be reached from Germany, France, Great Britain, and even Spain—including on the latest American aircraft model: the DC-2, which is shown here roaring over the Bernina Massif toward Piz Palü.

Matters’ posters—composed of several black-and-white photographs and inked onto gravure plates—were something of a revelation on Swiss billboards in the mid-1930s; by breaking with everything passersby had been accustomed to up to that point, he introduced a completely new aesthetic to the tourism industry. Although Walter Herdeg, in particular, (after the use of photographs on Swiss posters had begun cautiously in 1928) consistently employed them as a stylistic device in his work for St. Moritz—though always supplemented with drawn elements and, above all, the smiling sun, which gave the compositions a somewhat more charming impression. Matter, on the other hand, completely dispenses with any personal touch and relies entirely on a cool, technical style—an approach that is unmistakable and thus naturally becomes a personal touch in its own right.

Matter’s first posters, created in 1928, were still entirely in the Art Deco style, before he went to Paris, where he continued his studies under Fernand Léger, and, on the other hand, worked for and with a number of leading figures (Le Corbusier, for example, is often mentioned in this context—although, despite some effort and phone calls, I have never found any even remotely credible evidence of this anywhere). Giants always stand on the shoulders of other giants—in Matter’s case, these included, in addition to Léger, the Russian Constructivists around El Lissitzky, as well as Adolphe Mouron Cassandre, with whom he also maintained close contact in Paris.

The German version of this poster, «Winter Air Traffic», is also available.

You might also find this interesting—as a change of pace:
Bern – Center for City and Alpine Flights