Walter Ballmer was born in Liestal, Switzerland on July 22, 1923. He studied in Lucerne and at the Kungstgewerbeschule. He worked at Studio Bogeri in 1947 and 9 years later he joined Olivetti. He became a graphic designer at the department of development and advertising in Ivrea. He also designed the iconic Olivetti logo, posters, equipment and promotional campaigns. Finally in 1971, he established his own studio, Unidesign.
Olivetti logo is an example of timeless design. The owner must have cared about visual design, in which I can compare with the Apple products now. All the Olivetti posters are very interesting and exciting. I wish that Apple gave more opportunities to designers to design their posters.
Wallter Ballmer has received several prizes, including a Compasso d'Oro (1954), an award for the best Swiss poster (1961), an award at the Swiss National Exhibition (1964 and 1971), and a gold medal for “Olivetti image” exhibition. His works definitely are outstanding and inspiring. I hope he would enjoy his 88th anniversary. Salute to Walter Ballmer.
Source images: foradotempo, storiaolivetti, AGI, Graphic Packaging 3