Max Huber (1919-1992) was a standout figure in graphic design, known for a distinctly playful style that blended vivid colour with inventive photomontage. Born in Baar, Switzerland, Huber studied at Zurich’s Kunstgewerbeschule (School of Arts and Crafts), where he excelled in graphic design and photography. That grounding set him up for a career that moved across advertising, packaging, graphic design, and industrial design, and it showed just how well he could communicate through image alone.
In 1940, Huber moved to Milan, largely to avoid conscription into the Swiss army. There, he joined the well-known Studio Boggeri, and quickly rose to art director. His time in Milan was cut short by the war. He returned to Switzerland around 1941-42, but he kept working through that period, with the Artemis publishing house and as a freelancer for magazines like DU, along with several industrial firms.
After the war, Huber went back to Italy, and it became one of the most active periods of his career. Working with companies including Olivetti, La Rinascente, RAI, and Monza, he produced logos, posters, book covers, and exhibition displays that stood out. His work, built on dynamic composition and bold visual metaphors, captured the spirit of postwar modernism well.
Huber often worked alongside other well-regarded designers, including Max Bill and Werner Bischof. His talent and influence were widely recognised, and his work was shown at galleries such as Il Camino in 1948 and Libreria Salto in 1950. His reputation grew internationally too, through exhibitions across Europe and the United States, including “Purpose and Pleasure” in London (1952), “Allianz” in Zurich (1943), “Réalités Nouvelles” in Paris (1946), and “Arte astratta e concreta” in Milan (1947).
A member of the Alliance Graphique Internationale (AGI), Huber won several major honours across his career, including the Compasso d’Oro and a gold medal at the 1954 Milan Triennale.
Max Huber’s work still feels current. The colour and the invention in it have not dated at all, and that is rarer than it sounds.
