Swiss Style Poster
Make a poster in the Swiss style on a real grid. Set the number of columns and rows, the gutter, the margin and the baseline grid; the tool works out the column width, puts every line of your text flush left on a column edge and on a baseline, and places blocks, bars or circles on the grid. Show the grid to see how it all lines up, on screen and in every download. Pick a poster size from A5 to A1 or US Letter to 24 × 36 in, then download a PDF at the real size, a proof on US Letter or A4, a PNG or an SVG. Nothing is uploaded.
100% private — everything runs in your browser. Everything runs in your browser; nothing is uploaded.
The poster-size PDF is the real size you pick (print it at 100% on that paper, or send it to a print shop). The proof fits the whole poster on one US Letter or A4 page with a 2 cm check bar. PNG at 72, 150 or 300 DPI; SVG in millimetres.
Swiss-style poster
Grid
Your text
Poster size
Proof PDF
Runs in your browser with our own code: nothing you type is uploaded or saved. Column width = (poster width − 2 × margin − (columns − 1) × gutter) ÷ columns; every line of type starts on a column edge and sits on the baseline grid. You may use what you make here, including commercially, with no credit needed.
How to make a Swiss-style poster
- Pick a preset, or a layout and colours.
- Type your headline, a second line and up to six lines of details.
- Set the columns, rows, gutter, baseline grid and margin.
- Tick Show the grid to check the alignment.
- Download the PDF at poster size, a Letter / A4 proof, the PNG or the SVG.
What you can use it for
- Event and exhibition posters
- Typography and layout lessons on grids
- Lecture, talk and workshop notices
- Portfolio and studio wall prints
- Grid studies to trace in other apps
- Social posts from the PNG
The 14 presets
| Preset | Layout | Size | Columns | Gutter | Rows | Baseline | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Headline, circle and six columns, A3 | Headline, circle and columns | A3 (297 × 420 mm) | 6 × 38.67 mm | 5 mm | 8 × 43.13 mm | 5 mm | 20 mm |
| The same with the grid shown | Headline, circle and columns | A3 (297 × 420 mm) | 6 × 38.67 mm | 5 mm | 8 × 43.13 mm | 5 mm | 20 mm |
| Modules in a stepped pattern, A2 | Modules filled in a stepped pattern | A2 (420 × 594 mm) | 6 × 54.83 mm | 7 mm | 8 × 61.13 mm | 7 mm | 28 mm |
| Modules in blue, A3 | Modules filled in a stepped pattern | A3 (297 × 420 mm) | 6 × 38.67 mm | 5 mm | 8 × 43.13 mm | 5 mm | 20 mm |
| Bars on a 12-column grid, A3 | Bars stopping on columns | A3 (297 × 420 mm) | 12 × 17.75 mm | 4 mm | 8 × 44 mm | 5 mm | 20 mm |
| Bars on yellow, Tabloid | Bars stopping on columns | Tabloid (11 × 17 in) | 8 × 25.55 mm | 5 mm | 8 × 44.6 mm | 5 mm | 20 mm |
| Headline up the first column, A3 | Headline turned up the first column | A3 (297 × 420 mm) | 6 × 38.67 mm | 5 mm | 8 × 43.13 mm | 5 mm | 20 mm |
| Vertical headline on black, A2 | Headline turned up the first column | A2 (420 × 594 mm) | 6 × 54.83 mm | 7 mm | 8 × 61.13 mm | 7 mm | 28 mm |
| Type only, 4 columns, A4 | Type only, one word a line | A4 (210 × 297 mm) | 4 × 42.5 mm | 4 mm | 8 × 30.13 mm | 4 mm | 14 mm |
| Type only in capitals, 18 × 24 in | Type only, one word a line | 18 × 24 in | 6 × 59.53 mm | 8 mm | 8 × 61.7 mm | 8 mm | 30 mm |
| Circles on grid points, A3 | Circles on grid points | A3 (297 × 420 mm) | 6 × 38.67 mm | 5 mm | 8 × 43.13 mm | 5 mm | 20 mm |
| Circles on grey, 24 × 36 in | Circles on grid points | 24 × 36 in | 6 × 79.93 mm | 10 mm | 8 × 95.55 mm | 10 mm | 40 mm |
| Headline and circle, US Letter | Headline, circle and columns | US Letter (8.5 × 11 in) | 6 × 27.65 mm | 4 mm | 8 × 27.67 mm | 4 mm | 15 mm |
| Bars, landscape A3 | Bars stopping on columns | A3 (297 × 420 mm), landscape | 6 × 59.17 mm | 5 mm | 6 × 38.67 mm | 5 mm | 20 mm |
Column width, worked through
| Size | Width | Margin | Columns | Gutter | Sum | Column width |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A3 | 297 mm | 20 mm | 6 | 5 mm | (297 − 40 − 25) ÷ 6 | 38.667 mm |
| A3 | 297 mm | 20 mm | 12 | 4 mm | (297 − 40 − 44) ÷ 12 | 17.75 mm |
| A2 | 420 mm | 28 mm | 6 | 7 mm | (420 − 56 − 35) ÷ 6 | 54.833 mm |
| A4 | 210 mm | 14 mm | 4 | 4 mm | (210 − 28 − 12) ÷ 4 | 42.5 mm |
| US Letter | 215.9 mm | 15 mm | 6 | 4 mm | (215.9 − 30 − 20) ÷ 6 | 27.65 mm |
| 18 × 24 in | 457.2 mm | 30 mm | 8 | 8 mm | (457.2 − 60 − 56) ÷ 8 | 42.65 mm |
| 24 × 36 in | 609.6 mm | 40 mm | 6 | 10 mm | (609.6 − 80 − 50) ÷ 6 | 79.933 mm |
For the ideas behind the grid, read our article on Swiss design style and the grid.
The colours
| Colours | Ground | Accent | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red and black on white | #ffffff | #e30613 | #111111 |
| Black on white | #ffffff | #111111 | #111111 |
| Blue and black on light grey | #f2f2f2 | #0047bb | #111111 |
| Black on yellow | #ffd400 | #111111 | #111111 |
| Red and black on grey | #e6e6e6 | #e30613 | #1a1a1a |
| Red and white on black | #111111 | #e30613 | #f2f2f2 |
Poster sizes
| Size | Poster | PNG at 150 DPI | PNG at 300 DPI | Proof on US Letter | Proof on A4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A5 | 148 × 210 mm | 874 × 1240 px | 1748 × 2480 px | 112.4 % | 120.7 % |
| A4 | 210 × 297 mm | 1240 × 1754 px | 2480 × 3508 px | 79.5 % | 85 % |
| A3 | 297 × 420 mm | 1754 × 2480 px | use 150 DPI or the PDF | 56.2 % | 60.1 % |
| A2 | 420 × 594 mm | 2480 × 3508 px | use 150 DPI or the PDF | 39.7 % | 42.5 % |
| A1 | 594 × 841 mm | 3508 × 4967 px | use 150 DPI or the PDF | 28.1 % | 30.1 % |
| US Letter | 215.9 × 279.4 mm | 1275 × 1650 px | 2550 × 3300 px | 84.5 % | 82.7 % |
| Tabloid | 279.4 × 431.8 mm | 1650 × 2550 px | use 150 DPI or the PDF | 54.7 % | 58.7 % |
| 18 × 24 in | 457.2 × 609.6 mm | 2700 × 3600 px | use 150 DPI or the PDF | 38.7 % | 39.1 % |
| 24 × 36 in | 609.6 × 914.4 mm | 3600 × 5400 px | use 150 DPI or the PDF | 25.8 % | 27.7 % |
Browsers cap a picture at about 16.7 million pixels, so the biggest sizes stop at 150 DPI as PNG; the PDF has no such limit and is drawn as vector shapes and text at the real size.
What you can download
| Download | What is in it |
|---|---|
| PDF at poster size | One page the size of the poster (real size), vector shapes and real, selectable text |
| Proof PDF | The whole poster fitted on one US Letter or A4 page, with a thin trim line and a 2 cm check bar |
| PNG | The poster as a picture at 72, 150 or 300 DPI |
| SVG | Vector shapes and text in millimetres, to edit further |
Which tool to use
| You want | Use |
|---|---|
| A column grid, flush-left type and a baseline grid | Swiss Style Poster (this page) |
| Diagonal bands and bold type in red and black | Constructivist Poster |
| Grid numbers for a page or screen | Layout Grid Calculator |
| Any poster from a photo and your text | Poster Maker |
| Bauhaus tiles in primary colours | Bauhaus Pattern |
Other tools: the Layout Grid Calculator works out grids for pages and screens, the Type Scale Generator picks a set of type sizes, and the Poster Maker lays out a poster around your own photo.
More free tools
Posters, type and layout?
Design tools that run privately in your browser, with no sign-up and no watermark.
Frequently asked questions
How is the column width worked out?
Column width = (poster width − 2 × margin − (columns − 1) × gutter) ÷ columns. Rows work the same way down the poster. The table below works it through for seven grids.
What is the baseline grid?
Evenly spaced lines, one every baseline step from the top margin. Every line of type sits on one of them, and the line spacing is always a whole number of steps, so text in different columns lines up across the poster.
Is the text really flush left?
Yes. Every flat line starts exactly on the left edge of a column. In the Vertical layout the headline is turned to read upwards along the first column, starting at the bottom margin.
Where do the shapes go?
Blocks and bars start and stop on column edges and start on a row; circles are centred where two gutters cross. Shapes only use rows that the text leaves free.
Can I show the grid in the download?
Yes. Tick Show the grid and the columns, rows and baselines are drawn in light blue on the preview, the PNG, the SVG and both PDFs. Untick it for the finished poster.
Which sizes can I print?
A5, A4, A3, A2 and A1, US Letter, Tabloid (11 × 17 in), 18 × 24 in and 24 × 36 in, portrait or landscape. Columns and rows must stay at least 5 mm; the tool says so if your grid does not fit.
Is it free?
Yes. There is no sign-up, no watermark and no limit; the note under the tool says how you may use what you make.
Is anything uploaded?
No. The poster is drawn by JavaScript in your browser. Nothing you type is sent anywhere or saved when you close the page.