KOREA FOUNDATION

Hangul-Helvetica Summit to Mark 60th Anniversary of Korean-Swiss Amity

From September 4 to October 27, the KF and the Swiss Embassy in Korea will jointly hold a special exhibition at the KF Gallery in Seoul. In celebration of the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the Republic of Korea and Switzerland, Hangul–Helvetica Summit—The Typeface and Graphic Design of Switzerland and Korea will offer a chance to explore common elements of the two countries through fonts.

Hangul is the Korean alphabet and was created in the 15th century by King Sejong, with possible assistance from his council of scholars. Meanwhile, Swiss typefaces, including the famous Helvetica font, have served as pillars of graphic design for the past 60 years.

The exhibition showcases diverse typefaces and graphic designs that use Helvetica and studies the cultural context of the font, especially within the history of design. It also traces how 쓔이써60 (Ssyuisseo60) was developed as a Hangul font that effectively compliments Helvetica, in commemoration of the six decades of Korean-Swiss friendship. Also on display are posters featuring Hangul and Helvetica, created by designers worldwide, that testify to the globalization and diversification of graphic design, as well as the works of students in the master’s course for type design at the École cantonale d’art de Lausanne (ÉCAL, Cantonale Art School) in Switzerland.

By celebrating Switzerland’s rich design and typography heritage, the Hangul–Helvetica Summit exhibition aims to encourage a multicultural exchange of designs.

Admission to the exhibition is free. For detailed information, please visit the KF website (www.kf.or.kr).

Hangul-Helvetica Summit60th Anniversary of Korean-Swiss AmityfontsHangulHelveticaSsyuisseo60KF Gallery