Please join us for our inaugural design exhibition on January 21, 2025, The Art of Design: Swiss Posters 1950 to 2022
A reception at SHADE is scheduled for January 23, 6:00pm - 8:00pm. Ambassador Balz Abplanalp, Consul General of Switzerland in San Francisco, and Theres Ryf Desai, Honorary Consul of Switzerland in Hawai’i will attend.
SHADE's display is based on the Museum of Contemporary Art, in Westport, Connecticut, MOCA's installation of Collectomania: The Outsized Influence of Swiss Posters, 1950 to the present, Tom Strong Collects. Mr. Strong, owner of this amazing poster collection, has generously provided 32 reproductions of his archival posters and advised SHADE to purchase recent poster editions from Switzerland to supplement our Honolulu installation.
Swiss design culture has had a profound impact on the field of graphic design, with Swiss posters—especially those from the mid-20th century—becoming iconic and integral to design education worldwide. Created at uniform scale for display in the streets of Zurich, Lucerne, and Basel, these posters are now highly sought after by collectors, preserved in the collections of major museums, and featured in art and design publications. The Swiss grid system avoided historical references tied to any one country, presenting a universal, anonymous, and modern aesthetic. In the postwar era, Switzerland’s trilingual publications spread internationally, helping to define Modern design and promote grid-based layouts.
The Swiss Poster exhibition in Honolulu would be significant for the following reasons:
1. Highlight quality graphic design.
2. Support the creative industry in Hawaii by providing an opportunity to start up conversations and educational programs..
3. Revitalize Downtown and Chinatown and help advertise what is going on right around the corner.
4. Tom Strong’s vision as a designer, collector, and generosity is incredibly inspiring and should extend across the US and into the mid-Pacific
The Swiss Consulate of San Francisco has donated $5,000 of seed funding to start the effort. We are seeking another $25,000 to design and install the show next month and keep it on display until early/mid-March, 2025.
Sponsorship Levels:
Stand out and enhance your community presence and visibility at this event.
Stakeholder: $0 - $100
• Recognition as Stakeholder on promotional communication on website
Super Stakeholder: $100 - $500
• Recognition as Super Stakeholder on promotional communication on website
• Recognition as Super Stakeholder on digital screen
Sponsor: $500 - $1,500
• Recognition as Sponsor on promotional communication on website and press release
• Recognition as Sponsor on digital screen
• General verbal acknowledgement as Sponsor at programs/events
• Special invitations for two (2) attendees to special programs/events
Contributing: $1,500 - $5,000
• Logo and recognition as Contributing Sponsor on promotional communication including press release, website, newsletter, social media, and advertisements
• Logo and recognition as Contributing Sponsor on partner sites promotional communication
• Logo and recognition as Contributing Sponsor on exhibition credit panel signage, digital screen, and collateral materials
• Verbal acknowledgement as Contributing Sponsor at programs/events
• Special invitations for two (3) attendees to special programs/events
Major: $5,000 - $10,000
• Logo and recognition as Major Sponsor on promotional communication including press release, website, newsletter, social media, and advertisements
• Logo and recognition as Major Sponsor on partner sites promotional communication
• Logo and recognition as Major Sponsor on exhibition credit panel signage, digital screen, and collateral materials
• Verbal acknowledgement as Major Sponsor at programs/events
• Special invitations for three (4) attendees to special programs/events
Presenting $10,000 - $15,000
• Logo and recognition as Presenting Sponsor on promotional communication including press release, website, newsletter, social media, and advertisements
• Logo and recognition as Presenting Sponsor on partner sites promotional communication
• Logo and recognition as Presenting Sponsor on exhibition credit panel signage, digital screen, and collateral materials
• Verbal acknowledgement as Presenting Sponsor at programs/events
• Special invitations for four (5) attendees to special programs/events
Click here to donate to SHADE Institute in support of the exhibition in Honolulu
SHADE Institute is a 501 c3 non-profit organization. Upon receipt of a donation, SHADE will send you a letter of donation suitable to obtain an IRS tax deduction.
FYI - here is some info on SHADE's exhibition space and the Collectomania exhibit.
