Fachhochschule Nordwestschweiz - Institut Visuelle Kommunikation

General information

The Basel School of Design and its students have influenced the international Graphic Design community since the 1960’s. Under the direction of Armin Hofmann and Emil Ruder courses for Graphic Design and Typography were developed. They were outstanding models for a modernist design education.

Since the year 2000, the Swiss educational system has undergone an astonishingly rapid process of adapting its educational institutions to the international standards of the Bachelor and Master curricula at the University level. In this process the Visual Communication department became a separate institute from the vocational level School of Design (Schule für Gestaltung Basel). We are now part of the University system of Northwest Switzerland and have developed a curriculum for the University level with international accreditation.

This University level institute is officially called the «Visual Communication Institute/The Basel School of Design» and forms together with seven other Design- and Art oriented Institutes the Academy of Art and Design Basel (HGK Basel) as a Department of the University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland (FHNW).

Today the Visual Communication Institute/The Basel School of Design offers a Bachelor's Degree programm, an international Master’s Degree program, international Summer Workshops, and is involved in many national and international research and development projects.

We are proud of what our institute has achieved during the past few years. The institute has a curriculum for today and tomorrow’s design world continuing the rich tradition of Swiss Design and Typography.