Sonja Zagermann
Editorial Design Studio

about

Sonja Zagermann is a graphic designer with a strong focus on the design of transcultural and multilingual work in form of publications, posters, visual identities and websites in close collaboration with artists, architects, institutions, companies and publisher, in Switzerland, Europe and Asia.

Sonja is part of:
– tria publishing platform, an independent publisher specialising in contemporary art positions from Switzerland, Asia and Europe. tria was founded by the curators Antonie Angerer, Anna Viktoria Eschbach and designer Sonja Zagermann in Beijing and Zurich and is now currently based in Frankfurt a.M., Vienna and Zurich.
– ReDesign – Walking is good for thinking – an annual workshop format in collaboration with Lisa Marlen Austmann of bureau juli
– of the advisory board of the Swiss-Chinese Chamber of Architects and Artists
– House of Books a space for research, exchange and presentation, which promotes questioning and exploring the nature of books. In collaboration with Georg Rutishauser of edition fink

lectures/workshops

· 04/2021 ZHdK Workshop with Master Students: ReDesign – Walking is good for thinking · 10/2019 ReDesign – Walking is good for thinking No.4, Arche Ruchenberg · 09/2018 ReDesign – Walking is good for thinking No.3, Amden · 10/2017 ReDesign – Walking is good for thinking No.2, Mühlibachtal · 11/2016 About books – Presentation at FH Joanneum, Graz · 10/2016 ReDesign – Walking is good for thinking No.1, Alpstein · 10/2016 Presentation at Tongji University, Shanghai · 09/2016 Bits and Books – Workshop during Beijing Design Week 2016 · 12/2015 Book-Workshop at Hong Kong Design Institute · 12/2015 Presentation at Hong Kong Design Institute · 12/2015 Presentation at Business of Design Week, Hong Kong · 09/2015 Artist-Book workshop at I: project space, Beijing · 09/2015 “Show and Tell”-Presentation during the exhibition of “The Most Beautiful Swiss Books” in Beijing, China · 10/2010 Presentation of the Master Thesis “Slow Design”, Designagentur Dorten, Stuttgart

awards

· 2015 “The Most Beautiful German Books” (Stiftung Buchkunst) for “Monika Sennhauser: Gleichungen in Intervallen” · 2015 Honorary diploma at the competition – “Best Book Design from all over the World”
(Stiftung Buchkunst) for the paperback series “fink twice 501, 502, 503” · 2015 “The Most Beautiful Swiss Books 2014”,
(Federal Office for Culture) for the paperback series “fink twice 501, 502, 503” · 2013 part of the :output award 2013 with the master thesis
 “Slow Design” · 2011 part of the :output award 2011 with the bachelor thesis 
“Wegen dem guten Essen”– 2009 Award for outstanding artistic achievement of the friends’ association Pforzheim Gallery · 2009 Abraham David Christian Award

contact

+41 76 767 27 58
kontakt@sonja-zagermann.ch

Anwandstrasse 30
8004 Zürich

instagram

Website Design for Artist Bignia Wehrli

The website consists of three asymmetrical columns and offers a primarily visual but also an indexical access to Bignia's inspiring poetic and scientific work.

www.bigniawehrli.de/

Libikooka Logo Design

Logo design for the artists' collective Libikooka, founded in 2015 by Julia Geröcs and Gabriel Studerus. A vessel for collaboration with artists from the fields of visual arts, theatre, dance, film and music. An allusion through the chosen name "Libikooka" to the popular children's game "Brettschaukel" (board swing), as a metaphor for the cooperation and interaction of forces within a system.
Animation: Reinhard Schmidt

Website Design for Artist Lisa Biedlingmaier

The design of the website takes up motifs such as linking, interweaving and entanglement, which play a major role in Lisa Biedlingmaier’s work.

www.lisabiedlingmaier.net/

Angela Thomas: A Subversive Gleam: Max Bill and His Time. 1908–1939

First part of the biography of polymath Max Bill, written by Angela Thomas – the history and stories of Bill’s early years, from his childhood and youth, through his time at the Bauhaus, his return to Zurich, and on through the late 1930s.
This publication has been published on the occasion of the exhibition: max bill and georges vantongerloo crossover, Hauser & Wirth Publishers New York

More information and available here:
pictures: Hauser & Wirth

Wired China: Digital Media and Online Culture

Poster design for the conference and workshop: Wired China: Digital Media and Online Culture at the Institute of Asian and Oriental Studies of the University of Zurich, November 27–28, 2020

more information

Lisa Biedlingmaier: Anti-MEs / Serenity / Family Tree / Addiction / Collective Memory / Intolerance

243 × 335 mm
72 pages
(loose picture sheets)

160 × 210 mm
48 pages
(textbook)
German, French, English
Text: Didem Yasici
Conversation: Elke aus dem Moore and Lisa Biedlingmaier

160 × 210 mm
24 pages
(picture booklet)

Design and typesetting: Sonja Zagermann
tria publishing platform,
Zurich–Beijing, 2020
ISBN 978-3-906899-07-7

The publication by Lisa Biedlingmaier entitled: "Anti-MEs / Serenity / Family Tree / Addiction / Collective Memory / Intolerance" is being published on the occasion of her 3-month residency at the Centre Europeene d'Actions Artistiques Contemporaines (CEAAC) in Strasbourg. The publication reflects in its richness and complexity the abundance of materials, ropes and cords that Lisa Biedlingmaier combines in her works. The loose sheets allow individual constellations, entanglements and preferences. Inserted between the sheets is a booklet with a text by Didem Yazici and a conversation between Elke aus dem Moore and Lisa Biedlingmaier, as well as a picture booklet with documentary studio photographs, which are referred to in the conversation.

SCAA Annual Report 2019

Concept and design of the 2019 annual report of the Swiss-Chinese Chamber of Architects and Artists. It documents all the wonderful events SCAA was able to hold in 2019. More information: www.scaa.ch

SCAA Poster Series

Beginning of a series of event posters for the Swiss-Chinese Chamber of Architects and Artist. More information: www.scaa.ch

Website for photographer/artist Bettina Diel

Website-design for photographer and artist Bettina Diel. During the last years she has specialized as a photographer to work together with museums, galleries, off-spaces and other artists. She documents performances and events, work processes of artist groups, as well as the exhibitions that have been created. Her understanding as a visual artist enables her to intuitively enter into the respective dynamics, to capture the processes, the people and their works.

www.bettinadiel.ch

Beauty + Lion Logo

Logo-design for the Chinese-Swiss store Beauty + Lion in Interlaken. The logo plays with the combination and approximation of the Chinese and Latin characters.

Metapictures Catalogue, OCAT Institute Beijing

320 pages
thread stitching with open back
Chinese/English
Published in China

Concept and design of the catalogue which will be published in conjunction with OCAT Institute’s 2018 Annual Exhibition Metapictures. Curated by Prof. W. J. T. Mitchell.

JOM Architect’s Portfolio Broschure 2020

A4, 68 pages, wire stitching

Concept and design of the new portfolio broschure of JOM Architects in Zurich, 2020.
This documentation shows in a first part what they are currently working on, what they stand for and what drives them. In a second part we look back at what they have achieved so far.
The future is formable and JOM wants to help shape it as responsible planners. As architects, they are pursuing strategies to use these changing conditions we are living in, to design new living environments that will last well beyond the year 2050. It is time for post-fossil architecture!

Maria Pomiansky: 100% Renaissance

240×335mm
188 pages,
thread stitching
German, English, Russian
editor: Maria Pomiansky, Antonie Angerer, Anna-Viktoria Eschbach, Sonja Zagermann
texts: Sandra Oehy, Philippe Jorisch, Stefan Oeschger, Vadim Levin
design and typesetting: Sonja Zagermann
ISBN 978-3-906899-04-6
tria publishing platform, Zurich–Beijing, 2018 

In the work cycle 100% Renaissance, to which the present publication is dedicated, Maria Pomiansky takes us on a tour of the neighborhood as she perceives and experiences it today. She created her urban portraits of Zurich West between 2013 and 2018. It is a part of town that is full of viaducts, logistics facilities and infrastructures, and at the same time it is in transformation, seeing the emergence of glamorous new buildings. Viewing the large-format paintings, the drawings and pastels, we become immersed in an exploration of the immediate urban and social context of her practice.

f.eks.

Concept and design of an adapting and changeing corporate design for f.eks. – a roaming exhibition platform for contemporary art that seeks to generate critical and speculative dialogues between audiences, artists, and broader publics, situated in Aalborg, Denmark. Organized by Rikke Ehlers Nilsson and Scott William Raby. More information: www.f-x.dk

sonmas

Corporate Design for sonmas – a project of the artist Maya Minder about fermentation and bacteria, between art, workshops and catering. Sonmas is a Korean word combination of son=hand and mas=taste. It lit. means the individual taste of one's kitchen. More information: www.sonmas.ch

Lin Ke: lin_ke

140 × 200 mm
176 pages, paperback
English/Chinese
with texts by: Anna-Viktoria Eschbach,
Liu Pinyu
Augmented reality content
Additional bookmark
tria publishing platform, Zurich–Beijing, 2016 

Mixing images he is finding on social media platforms and electronic music, Lin Ke is creating videos where he is researching new forms of visual aesthetic in our daily use of computer operating systems.
The publication was approaching the issue that the medium book always has issues to present video works in an appropriate way and this became even more obvious with the works of digital artists. Through using a layer of augmented reality on top of this book, it became possible to use the book as a documentation of Lin Ke’s videos in chronological order from 2010 to 2016 and link it to the original videos itself. Via an free augmented reality App the reader can bring the files to life and watch the videos.
The years are divided through text pages and pages with full-bled pictures from Lin Ke’s videos which let the reader immerse into the artist’s world. This way of viewing Lin Ke’s aesthetic universe is mimicking the intended way of viewing the videos and stresses the important aspect of manual movements in the work of the artist. It also allows the augmented reality content to be always updated and so stay in an ongoing exchange with technological development. The reader will be guided through the book with textmessages of the artist which will be displayed at the end of a video. With using the app the reader is also implementing a digital performance.

Poster for Chinese-Danish Project "Responding"

Posterdesign for the Chinese-Danish exhibtion-project Responding. Curated by Antonie Angerer and Anna-Viktoria Eschbach of I:project space, Beijing. Happening at c4 projects, Copenhagen.

Jannis Schulze: Pangu

A5, 72 pages, wire stitching,
English/Chinese
editor: I: project space, Jannis Schulze, Sonja Zagermann
tria publishing platform, Zurich–Beijing, 2017

During his residency in 2015 at I: project space Jannis Schulze collected photographic material that was the starting point for “Pangu”. The title refers to a Chinese creation myth: the giant Pangu (盘古), in contrast to Western mythologies, does not create the world out of nothing, but separates the earth from the heavens whilst growing taller and taller for 18,000 years. When he dies, his body, breath and voice become various parts of the terrestrial and cosmic world, and the fleas on his fur become animals and human beings. These elements of continuity and balance form the point of departure for Schulze’s exploration of the aesthetics of perception and his photographic practice. “Pangu” is part of the residency publication series of I: project space.

JOM Architect's Broschure

A4, 48 pages, wire stitching

Concept and design of the new broschure of JOM Architects in Zurich, 2017. Displaying their stories and projects from 2014 till now.

Monika Sennhauser: Gleichungen in Intervallen

Arbeiten 1978–2012

624 pages
edition fink, Zurich 2014

Monography for swiss artist Monika Sennhauser, showing all her work of the last 30 years. Awarded in the competition “The Most Beautiful German Books 2015”.

Typesetting and design together with Georg Rutishauser at edition fink.

Michael Bodenmann and Bit-Tuner: I haven’t been everywhere but it’s ok

315×312mm
12" vinyl,
45:58 min
Images: 4 of 9 Flat Fantasy Landscapes
Record sleeve with text in: Chinese, English
Text: Antonie Angerer
Translation: Shan Zhao
Design and typesetting: Sonja Zagermann
tria publishing platform
Zurich–Beijing, 2020
ISBN 978-3-906899-06-0
CHF 32, RMB 200

This record is released on the occasion of the exhibition “I haven’t been everywhere but it’s ok” at LAB47, Beijing November 2015. On opening night visitors gathered on Bodenmann’s “Flat Fantasy Landscapes” listening to the atmospheric sound performance produced by Bit-Tuner that evening. The 45 min sound-piece became part of the installation after its opening, then only accessible from the outside of the glass door. Sound fragments that are reminiscent of that heard in waiting rooms or elevators were mixed with synth sounds and beats. These places of transition are characterized by their state of waiting to arrive. “Flat Fantasy Landscapes” together with the ambient soundscape created a feeling of anticipation and longing. The “Flat Fantasy Landscapes” are small plasticine sculptures that were made during a stay in Iceland the same year, scanned and fitted to a print covering the entire floor. This publication includes a recording of the live-performance by Bit-Tuner on opening night, a reproduction of Bodenmann´s Fantasy Landscapes and record sleeve with text.

Worldmaking Logo

Times of global crises, worldwide transformation processes and political power shifts draw our attention to notions of “world”: How are “worlds” created; how do notions of “world” change? By addressing these issues, the project calls for perspectives which deliberately counter resurgent Eurocentrism (although they may run under the label of the ‘global’) through a change of perspective, namely the engagement with China.
Funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) since November 2020, the Joint Center is characterized by its highly integrated network system. It brings together scholarly teams from Freie Universität Berlin, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg, Ludwigs-Maximilians-Universität München and Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg. In close collaboration with German and Chinese researchers from various disciplines, these teams investigate existing notions of “world” and practices of “worldmaking” from different angles.
The logo itself reflects these transformation processes as it exists in several different conditions and in 3 colors.

Worldmaking Website

Transformations Quartett

Transformations Quartett is the first edition of the new publication series Bauen + Publizieren published by JOM Architekten. Now available at Hochparterre Bücher.

I: project space exhibition poster series

Series of exhibition posters for the independent art space I: project space in Beijing, China. Each poster plays with the deconstruction/construction of the art space's logo, based on the exhibition's theme.

Spreadsheet #1–21

210 × 297 mm
and 148 × 210 mm
88 pages
wire stitching
English, Chinese
Texts: Katrin Hornek, Shuang Li, Anna Zett, Rachele Maistrello, Musquiqui Chihying, Geocinema, Alessandro Rolandi, Salote Tawale, Gabriela Löffel, Lotte Meret Effinger, Ani Schulze, Alexander Tillegreen, boihugo, Zhuxin Wang, Jialin Yang and Maj Horn, Ted Whitaker, Jovana Reisinger, Anahita Razmi, Jing Y.and Meng Yu, Juliet Carpenter and Valerie Franco, Lisa Biedlingmaier
Concept Series: Anna-Viktoria Eschbach, Antonie Angerer, Sonja Zagermann
Design: Sonja Zagermann
Production: fink/tria studios

Artist edition: Lotte Meret Effinger
tria publishing platform,
Zurich–Beijing, 2020
ISBN 978-3-906899-09-1


Spreadsheet is a collection of artist’s writings reflecting on the present moment. Spreadsheet brings together artists from across the globe to give glimpses into their research and thought processes; how these current global conditions can be understood and analyzed, and how to potentially overcome certain disruptive aspects of a hyper-connected time created. The series of writings was published throughout the year 2020 from different modes of isolation via tria’s website to download and print at home. Spreadsheet #1–21 brings together the collection of all 21 publications with an exclusive artist edition by Lotte Meret Effinger. Spreadsheet grew out of what feels like an unprecedented moment of uncertainty, amplified precarity, resurgent nationalism and national mindsets, and little or no assurance of what our collective futures might entail. By assembling multiple, overlapping voices, we are creating a collective voice of this time. We must listen together in and out of this time.

Jannis Schulze: Pangu

A5, 72 pages,
wire stitching,
English/Chinese
editor: I: project space, Jannis Schulze, Sonja Zagermann
tria publishing platform, Zurich–Beijing, 2017

During his residency in 2015 at I: project space Jannis Schulze collected photographic material that was the starting point for “Pangu”. The title refers to a Chinese creation myth: the giant Pangu (盘古), in contrast to Western mythologies, does not create the world out of nothing, but separates the earth from the heavens whilst growing taller and taller for 18,000 years. When he dies, his body, breath and voice become various parts of the terrestrial and cosmic world, and the fleas on his fur become animals and human beings. These elements of continuity and balance form the point of departure for Schulze’s exploration of the aesthetics of perception and his photographic practice. “Pangu” is part of the residency publication series of I: project space.

Liang Hao: Just Fishing in the Nature

108 (144) pages,
thread stitching with open back,
English/Chinese with texts by: Barbara Signer, Jiajia Zhang, Anna-Viktoria Eschbach and Liang Hao,
inserted diary sheet, hand-made silkscreen by the artist
paper bag
tria publishing platform, Zurich–Beijing, 2016

“Just Fishing in the Nature” is a publication in close collaboration wit the Chinese artist Liang Hao. It is the first publication highlighting his works as a video artist while putting into the context with his oeuvre as a painter. The publication stretches out on 108 pages all 20 second of the video “Just Fishing in the Nature”, that was shot during his residency in Iceland in 2015. By looking closer pictures will appear at irregular intervals on the left pages of the book. The pictures are not fully visible, the reader will just see them shining through the paper. Through working with a special binding technique, the book consists of partly closed sheets. In every inside of these closed pages one of Liang Hao’s painting is printed. Thereby a poetic dialogue between the moments of “Just Fishing in the Nature” and the moments shown in Liang Hao’s paintings arises – surrounded by Icelandic nature.

JOM Architect's Website

Concept and design of the website for JOM Architects, Zurich, 2014. Coding: Markus Böninger

www.jom.ch

Veronika Spierenburg: Ecke, Hoek, Hörn

72 pages
German/English

edition fink, Zurich 2014

This publication accompanied Veronika Spierenburg’s solo exhibition at the Aargauer Kunsthaus on the occasion of the Manor Art Prize.

Design and typesetting together with Georg Rutishauser at edition fink.

Cosimo Gritsch

340 pages
Book block with thread stitching, 2 folded sheets and a cardboard book
German/English

edition fink, Zurich 2013

Appears as Volume 3 of the series Primeur published by the Aargauer Kuratorium.
Typesetting and design together with Georg Rutishauser at edition fink.

Lin Ke: lin_ke

140 × 200 mm
176 pages, paperback
English/Chinese
with texts by: Anna-Viktoria Eschbach,
Liu Pinyu
Augmented reality content
Additional bookmark
tria publishing platform, Zurich–Beijing, 2016 

Mixing images he is finding on social media platforms and electronic music, Lin Ke is creating videos where he is researching new forms of visual aesthetic in our daily use of computer operating systems.
The publication was approaching the issue that the medium book always has issues to present video works in an appropriate way and this became even more obvious with the works of digital artists. Through using a layer of augmented reality on top of this book, it became possible to use the book as a documentation of Lin Ke’s videos in chronological order from 2010 to 2016 and link it to the original videos itself. Via an free augmented reality App the reader can bring the files to life and watch the videos.
The years are divided through text pages and pages with full-bled pictures from Lin Ke’s videos which let the reader immerse into the artist’s world. This way of viewing Lin Ke’s aesthetic universe is mimicking the intended way of viewing the videos and stresses the important aspect of manual movements in the work of the artist. It also allows the augmented reality content to be always updated and so stay in an ongoing exchange with technological development. The reader will be guided through the book with textmessages of the artist which will be displayed at the end of a video. With using the app the reader is also implementing a digital performance.

Liang Hao: Just Fishing in the Nature

108 (144) pages,
thread stitching with open back,
English/Chinese with texts by: Barbara Signer, Jiajia Zhang, Anna-Viktoria Eschbach and Liang Hao,
inserted diary sheet, hand-made silkscreen by the artist
paper bag
tria publishing platform, Zurich–Beijing, 2016

“Just Fishing in the Nature” is a publication in close collaboration wit the Chinese artist Liang Hao. It is the first publication highlighting his works as a video artist while putting into the context with his oeuvre as a painter. The publication stretches out on 108 pages all 20 second of the video “Just Fishing in the Nature”, that was shot during his residency in Iceland in 2015. By looking closer pictures will appear at irregular intervals on the left pages of the book. The pictures are not fully visible, the reader will just see them shining through the paper. Through working with a special binding technique, the book consists of partly closed sheets. In every inside of these closed pages one of Liang Hao’s painting is printed. Thereby a poetic dialogue between the moments of “Just Fishing in the Nature” and the moments shown in Liang Hao’s paintings arises – surrounded by Icelandic nature.

Maria Pomiansky: 100% Renaissance

240×335mm
188 pages,
thread stitching
German, English, Russian
editor: Maria Pomiansky, Antonie Angerer, Anna-Viktoria Eschbach, Sonja Zagermann
texts: Sandra Oehy, Philippe Jorisch, Stefan Oeschger, Vadim Levin
design and typesetting: Sonja Zagermann
ISBN 978-3-906899-04-6
tria publishing platform, Zurich–Beijing, 2018 

In the work cycle 100% Renaissance, to which the present publication is dedicated, Maria Pomiansky takes us on a tour of the neighborhood as she perceives and experiences it today. She created her urban portraits of Zurich West between 2013 and 2018. It is a part of town that is full of viaducts, logistics facilities and infrastructures, and at the same time it is in transformation, seeing the emergence of glamorous new buildings. Viewing the large-format paintings, the drawings and pastels, we become immersed in an exploration of the immediate urban and social context of her practice.

Wegen dem guten Essen – Reprint 2017

A4, 240 pages, paperback
German
self-published, 2017

The book is based on the notebook of my grandmother Paula Maurer, in which she noted all the cooking recipes she learnt as a 13-year-old between 1932 and 1934. Through stories and memories of four other women from her village, it has become a book full of valuable knowledge, history and wonderful memories.

Poster for Danish-Chinese Project "Response"

Posterdesign for the Danish-Chinese project RESPONSE. During April 2018 Rikke Ehlers Nilsson, Maj Horn, Johannes Sivertsen, Ditte Soria, Nanna Lysholt Hansen, Astrid Myntekær, Sif Hedegård and Scott William Raby will develop new works in response to the city, the people and the conversations they will experience. Happening at I:project space, Beijing.

Christa Ziegler: Polis – What about Cairo?

published by Khaled Al-Khamissi
16 pages, newspaper print
English/Arabic
edition fink, Zurich 2016

This collection of texts is published as a thematic extension to the illustrated volume “Polis – Cities in Images” by Christa Ziegler and is a continuation of the discussion initiated in “Polis – Talking about Cities”

Design and typesetting together with Georg Rutishauser at edition fink.

L'Officiel ART 1–3

Art Direction of the first 3 issues of L’Officiel Art in Switzerland. Media-partner of the Swiss Art and Design Awards 2015 and 2016.

Cover: Daniele Buetti, Sylvie Fleury, Ian Davenport
English/French

Daniel Stubenvoll: i:cowboy

A5, 56 pages, wire stitching,
English/Chinese with a text by Anna-Viktoria Eschbach
tria publishing platform, Zurich–Beijing, 2016

Daniel Stubenvoll took part in the residency program at I: project space in spring 2015. His stay in Beijing was extremely productive and next to shooting a video, he started an event series at a mahjong-place (Salon, breakfast, hoops), and realized a solo exhibition at I: project space. The publication on the one hand is a documentation of his researc and exhibition at I: project space, but it also let’s you “walk through” the exhibition and experience his stay in Beijing. Starting with a overview- look into the exhibition place, the image is zooming to works that were exhibited on the wall and show stills of the video. You can also become a guest at the artist talk which discusses elements of the exhibition but also gives an impression of his research in China. The easy, simple design and the uncut front side contribute to the fast and raw character of a documentation. The cover of the exhibition serves as a recognizable feature. «I: Cowboy» is part of the residency publication series of I: project space.

334 pages
Schuler Auktionen, 2013

Concept and design of an automatic auction's house catalogue which reduces the production time from several days to 20 minutes.
Code: Hendrik Kröger

Uriel Orlow: Unmade Film

272 pages text-part
German/English/Arabic
164 pages image-part
edition fink, Zurich 2014

Published on the occasion of exhibitions at Al-Ma’mal Foundation for Contemporary Art, Jerusalem, Centre Culturel Suisse, Paris, Les Complices*, Zurich, John Hansard Gallery, Southhampton.

Design and typesetting together with Georg Rutishauser at edition fink.

JOM Architects

Corporate Design for JOM Architects, 2014.

Romy Rüegger: A Play for Recorded Voices 

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