so+ba – so+ba tokyo

susanna baer and alex sonderegger were born in switzerland. they started their design studio «so+ba», in tokyo in 2001. with their experiences in graphic design and advertising in switzerland and japan, as well as a good understanding of the two very different cultures, cross-cultural communication is one of the strength and the focus of so+ba.
so+ba is active in the field of graphic design, art direction, sound visualization and teaching typography and design

so+ba // tokyo/zurich
5-29-20 kyodo, setagaya-ku, tokyo 156-0052
info@so-ba.cc

japan
+81 (0) 90 6521 3409

switzerland
+41 (0) 79 746 8933

office map

exhibitions

2001: swiss poster exhibition grafill (association of illustrators and designers, norway)

2005: ball im kopf, museum für kunst und gewerbe hamburg

2006: so+ba exhibition at the shizuoka center for creative communications

2007: so+ba exhibition at shizuoka contents valley festival

2008: kansei-japanese design exhibition // «musee des arts decoratifes» in paris

2008: kansei-japanese design exhibition // sprial (wacoal art center) in tokyo

2009: a way beyond fashion // apexart gallery new york

2009: every thing design // the collections of the museum für gestaltung, zürich

2010: fresh frozen smile // tokyo graphic passport

2011: look with your hand // lohas, shinjukugiyoen, tokyo

2011: namida // charity exhibition for tohoku // gallery ruine, geneve

2012: yes/no // smart illumination yokohama

2012: ore no tokyo // tokyo graphic passport

2013: fresh frozen smile // graphik 13, zurich

2015: shifting places // soirée graphique, bern

2015: shifting places // control / shift / plus, zurich

2016: freitag ad absurdum posters // design week beirut

2016: displaying fashion, displaying art // galerie 5020, salzburg

2016: 100 years dada, posters // spiral art centerposters

2018: onomichi so+ba and edwina hörl on the road

2019: «our plastic» exhibition at zou no hana terrace, yokohama

lectures and workshops

2006: introduction to the so+ba exhibition shizuoka

2009: nippon creative printing show vol. 1 in shizuoka

2010: lecture and workshop at the tokyo graphic passport 2010 // swiss typography I

2011: lecture and workshop at the tokyo graphic passport 2011 // swiss typography II

2012: lecture and workshop for enjoy zou-no-hana // pictogram

2012: lecture and workshop at the tokyo graphic passport 2011 // swiss typography III

2016: dada workshop // zou no hana terrace, yokohama

2019: ocean plastic workshop workshop // zou no hana terrace, yokohama

teaching
2004 – 2013 teaching «typography» at tama art university, tokyo
2020 teaching «art and design» at temple university, tokyo
2021 – teaching «international communication» at musashino art university, tokyo

so+ba works and interviews featured in books and magazines
+ creation // magazine // japan 1999
+ i-magazine // magazine // japan 1999
+ swiss graphic design // book // die gestalten verlag // germany 2000
+ creative impulse no 6 // happy books edition // italy 2001
+ benzin, young swiss graphic design // book // lars mueller publishers // switzerland 2001
+ pathfinder // book // idn-pro, hong kong // 2001
+ idn (international design magazine), hong kong 2001
+ victionary one: flavour // book // victionary hong kong 2002
+ iconography // book // idn-pro, hong kong // 2002
+ form, the making of design // magazine, germany // january 2003
+ it’s a matter of identity // book // victionary hong kong 2004
+ it’s a matter of promotion // book // victionary hong kong 2004
+ it’s a matter of editorial design // book // victionary hong kong 2004
+ it’s a matter of illustration // book // victionary hong kong 2005
+ ball im kopf – kult ums kicken // exhibition catalog // gestalten verlag 2005
+ fase // book // argentina
+ page // magazine, germany
+ poster collection, handmade // museum für gestaltung zürich // lars mueller publishers
+ nice to meet you // book // victionary hong kong 2006
+ axis // magazine // japan 2006
+ hochparterre // magazine // switzerland 2006
+ pen magazine // magazine // japan 2007
+ form, the making of design // magazine, germany // may, june 2007
+ high fashion // magazine // japan 2008
+ idpure no 14 // the swiss magazine of graphic design and visual creation 2008
+ the sourcebook of contemporary graphic design // maomao publications spain 2009
+ every thing design // museum für gestaltung zürich // book // hatje cantz, germany 2009
+ a way beyond the creative industries // book // folio verlag, austria 2010
+ graphic design for fashion // book // laurence king publishing ltd. uk 2010
+ slanted // magazine // germany 2010
+ asia-pacific design no.6 // book // sandu cultural media, china
+ aera // asahi shinbun weekly, april 2011
+ back cover // france 2012
+ CITYx60 City Guides Tokyo 60 local creatives bring you the best of the city //
victionary hk 2014
+ magazin soirée graphique, komet bern 2015
+ IDEA magazine No.371 // japan 2015
+ 3600 concept and design magazin // sandu publishing hk 2016
+ 27th international biennial of graphic design brno 2016 // catalog, czech republic 2016
+ IDEA magazine No.376 // japan 2016
+ 360 concept and design magazin // sandu publishing hk 2016
+ 27th international biennial of graphic design brno 2016 // catalog, czech republic 2016
+ nominée designpreis schweiz // catalog 2017
+ the 12th international poster triennal in toyama, 2018 // catalog // japan 2018
+ made in japan // book, victionary, hong kong 2018
+ asia-pacific design no.15 // book // sandu cultural media, china 2019
+ no.4 NEON form the PALETTE mini series, published by victionary, hong kong 2020

recent clients include
actelion // eat creative, tokyo
coppé
dentsu pr // eat creative, tokyo
doctors without borders // japan
edwina hörl
freitag japan
goethe institut tokyo // eat creative, tokyo
kurzfilmtage winterthur // switzerland
lixil // eat creative, tokyo
mudac, lausanne // switzerland
plantation, issey miyake inc
swiss embassy in tokyo
spiral, wacoal art center
ted-x tokyo
zou-no-hana terrace, museum cafe