Fred Troller collection

Collection — Multiple Containers

Identifier: CSC-0110

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

Fred Troller collection contains materials from the distinguished American graphic designer and educator. It includes a vast amount of material ranging from sketches, mock-ups and proofs along with final printed projects including book jackets, promotional materials, packaging and posters for noted companies such as International Business Machines (IBM), Olympia, Sloan Kettering Hopsital, and CIBA.

Dates

Creation: circa 1960-1990

Creator

Troller, Fred (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open to researchers.

Biographical / Historical

Fred Troller was a distinguished American graphic designer and educator who emigrated from Switzerland. He was born in Zurich in 1930 and graduated from the Zurich School of Design in 1950. He worked for Geigy Chemical Corporation and later established his own design studio in New York working for clients such as Exxon, General Electric, IBM and American Airlines among others. He also designed book jackets for Doubleday. As Steven Heller writes, "Troller helped popularized Swiss New Typography... the Swiss approach, influenced by the Bauhaus school of the 20's, relied on stark photographic imagery, bold sans-serif typefaces and primary colors in unfettered compositions. The object was to communicate logically, vividly and without ambiguity... Mr. Troller's personal variant of the style was characterized by the manipulation of geometric forms, jarring juxtapositions of large and small types and visual puns formed from the fonts themselves." Fred Troller was also a design educator and taught or lectured at Cooper Union, the School of the Visual Arts, and Rhode Island School of Design. He also served as chair of the division of design at Alfred University.

Extent

141 Linear Feet (79 manuscript boxes, 34 cartons, 58 medium flat boxes, 6 large flat boxes, 3 flat file drawers, loose items )

Language

English

Additional Description

Overview

The Troller collection was donated by Beatrice Troller in 2005 and includes material ranging from sketches, mock-ups and proofs along with final printed projects including book jackets, promotional materials, packaging and posters.

Physical Location

Graphic Design Archives, Cary Collection Annex

Other Finding Aids

This collection is partially processed, but inventories and client lists are available. Please contact the Cary Graphic Arts Collection for more information.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The collection was donated in 2005 by Beatrice Troller. Accession number(s): 2005:004

Existence and Location of Copies

54 linear feet of identified duplicate items in collection. 34 cartons and 2 large flat boxes. Duplicates identified by Lauren Alberque in 2019, and disposition began in fall 2021 under the supervision of Ella von Holtum.

Processing Information

Collection originally inventoried by Kari Horowicz in 2007. Finding aid encoded by Lisa Witt, October 2015.

Collection partially processed by project archivist Lauren Alberque in 2019, and the results of that processing were entered into ArchivesSpace to the file level.

Additional processing and finding aid updates are ongoing as of 2021.