Dafi Kühne’s 'Poster Cult!'

Poster Cult offers a detailed insight into the internationally renowned poster printing technique of one of Switzerland’s foremost poster designers, Dafi Kühne. His bold, diverse work embrace both traditional production methods and modern layouts. Since the release of his first publication True Print (also with Lars Müller Publishers) seven years ago, Dafi Kühne’s work has expanded and evolved substantially. Since 2018, he has been working with larger print formats, which has been made possible by the use of one of the largest single-person operated letterpress proof press ever produced.

Poster Cult would like to build on this development and document Dafi Kühne’s work over the last ten years. While True Print is an introduction to Kühne’s work, this new publication provides insights into the technical and conceptual development and the background to his poster work. The focal point is on the simultaneous balance and tension between poster culture and poster cult, between the romanticization of craftsmanship and the integration of digital tools, and the uncompromising application of autonomous design processes.

The publication includes the thoughtful presentation of 60 selected posters, as well as black and white photographs by Peter Hauser that illustrate the artist’s interconnected digital and analogue working process. These descriptive images are complemented by text contributions from Angelina Lippert, Chief Curator and Director of Poster House NYC and Christian Brändle, Director of the Museum für Gestaltung Zürich, which contextualize the works. The publication also contains a glossary that illustrates printing procedures and processes and thus provides access to the work for experts and poster enthusiasts alike.