Before, while, after.

Founded in the mid-1990s at the Schule für Gestaltung Biel/Bienne, where they all met as students. SILEX brought together Anna Albisetti, Bastien Aubry, Dimitri Broquard, Dimitri Bruni, Manuel Krebs, Gregory Gilbert-Lodge, and Aude Lehmann as an experimental publishing and editorial illustration platform. Since then, its members have developed highly influential international practices across typography, graphic design, publishing, arts and visual culture.

SILEX (1995–2004), 20 issues + multiple specials, all written and drawn by hand, produced with the most high- and lowtech printing and binding techniques, and always following the “logic of the applied system”.

The stones, pin-up as calendar, special hallucination, Cain and Abel, before & after, the story of the forest, the haircuts, to heal, body fluids and their circulation, midland, do it yourself, misfortune, Gagarin, the bones of the forearm, Silex S, annual report, quartet, my way, vogue, the truth, sex, pink genesis and this is the end, where topics and titles the collective tried to care with big enthusiasm. Maybe not always with the needed correctness, but always in a honest way.

Anna Albisetti
The critical. Zurich-based graphic designer and artist whose practice spans drawing, painting, and teaching at ZHdK (Zurich). Her work blends sharp observational skill with playful imagination, juggling with words, often turning a wry eye on the comforts of affluent life and social behaviours.

Bastien Aubry
The multi-talented. Zurich-based artist, sculptor, painter, illustrator, DJ, graphic designer, product designer, fashion designer, chef cook and teacher (in too many schools). Best known as Salami Slice, master of pizza (all kinds of). Speaks german with a perfect french accent. He is attracted by ugly things, making them look beautiful through his work.

Dimitri Broquard
The grand. Geneva-based graphic designer, very skilled illustrator, currently heads the Visual Communication Department at HEAD (Geneva). He worked in the past together with Bastien Aubry as graphic designer and artist. Both invented the famous pandemical expression “SOUL” (pronounced in french). He loves Belgium, but nobody knows why. He has a very high sense of humour, but a low one about budgets (no jokes). Once he pops, he can’t stop.

Dimitri Bruni & Manuel Krebs
The old couple. Zurich-based graphic and type designers. In 1999 they have decided to throw their pencils away for a radical flip-flop, and working anonymously under a company called NORM. If they say grid, they mean grid, they are big admirer of the metric system, natural numbers, Bruce Lee and Wu-Tang Clan. The one is guided by skepticism, the other one by positivism. They love deadlines over all.

Gregory Gilbert-Lodge
The Pro. Zurich-based illustrator. The only one who kept drawing and hard working in the business over two decades. He is obsessed about precision and clarity, the master of the lights and shadows. GGL is serious and loves british humour (before Brexit). The collective thinks his professionalism has contributed to the Silex’s international success story.

Aude Lehmann
The tireless. Zurich-based graphic designer, heads the Visual Communication Department at HKB (Bern). She has a natural talent for drawing, sewing, cooking, deep talking, and has a high sensibility for the good taste. Her conceptual, (psycho)analytical and critical working approach has saved the life of many artists. Not easy to get her on board, but once in, she is always the last one to leave.