Renowned Swiss poster designer Dafi Kühne has released Poster Cult, his second monograph with Lars Müller Publishers. Following on from his debut book True Print, which covered his work and practice between 2009 and 2016, this latest release looks in detail at the processes and contexts that inform his more recent poster work.

“The poster world is in crisis,” begins author and curator Angelina Lippert in her introduction to the book, citing the rise of digital displays and an increasingly throwaway culture as some of the reasons behind the demise of traditional poster design. She continues: “Luckily, a handful of contemporary designers are working to keep the poster alive.” Among them is Kühne.

Indeed, Kühne has championed the medium for many years and continues to showcase how old-school methods of poster production can still produce some of the best results. Working from his studio in a remote part of the Swiss Alps, he utilises analogue printing presses, computer software applications, laser cutters, and freshly cast hot metal type to create visually arresting posters with imaginative and intricate compositions.

In 2018, Kühne purchased the largest available model of an extant letterpress cylinder proof press, called the Grafix GX4N, which was made in the 1960s by Haas & Kellhofer Maschinenfabrik. This impressive machine weighs around 3.2 metric tonnes and allows Kühne to create “monumental images – perhaps the largest letterpress posters being made today”.

Many such works are featured in Poster Cult, which spans Kühne’s output between 2017 and 2024. Throughout the book, readers get a sense of his unique artistry, including his strong eye for colour and form and his deep commitment to craftsmanship.

Kühne’s appreciation for tactile craft also shapes how he intends for his work to be shown, preferring people to engage with the original posters rather than digital copies where possible. “He believes in the value of seeing a poster’s tactile quality, the precision with which it was printed, its rich colours,” Lippert writes. “Even in the best facsimile, all of those elements are lost.”

The posters in the book have been produced for a wide range of purposes, including music, art, architecture, theatre and film projects, as well as for various products. Despite the broad areas Kühne works across, and the many posters created for commercial contexts, he retains a signature approach.

It illustrates his resilience in an age where the creative process is becoming increasingly “factory-like”, Lippert points out. “In all respects, Dafi Kühne is fighting a design battle against these trends of mediocrity, constantly elevating and rigorously pushing the boundaries of contemporary poster making. He is not merely bringing back forgotten or outmoded methods of production, but deftly blending the best techniques from the dawn of commercial design with contemporary applications to create truly modern posters of the highest quality.”

Poster Cult is published by Lars Müller; lars-mueller-publishers.com