Swiss passport and banknote designer Roger Pfund dies
Published: Sunday, Mar 17th 2024, 17:40
Updated At: Sunday, Mar 17th 2024, 16:51
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Swiss passport and banknote designer Roger Pfund is dead. The graphic artist and painter died on Saturday at the age of 80, a member of his family told the Keystone-SDA news agency on Sunday. He was confirming information from the French-speaking Swiss television station RTS.
Born in Bern in 1943, the graphic designer is known for the design of the Swiss passport, which came into circulation after 2003. Based on his idea, each of the 26 cantons was given its own page with a coat of arms and a landmark.
Pfund and his wife as co-designer are regarded as the inventors of themed banknotes. He designed banknotes for numerous countries, including the last French banknote series with the "Little Prince" by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry and the Argentinian notes with Evita Peron. He is also the author of the last Swiss reserve series from 1984 in the vaults of the National Bank.
"Banknotes must be beautiful and colorful and must tell a story," the artist once said. "The banknote is the cultural ambassador of a country."
Interior Minister Elisabeth Baume-Schneider praised Pfund as an "outstanding personality in Swiss art". With his creations, he wanted to appeal to everyone, which he achieved "masterfully", wrote the Federal Councillor on the short message service X.
First jazz musician
Pfund was initially on the road as a jazz double bass player. In 1958, he formed a jazz trio with friends and performed semi-professionally alongside his painting.
In 1963, he obtained his federal diploma and completed an apprenticeship as a graphic designer. In 1966 he set up a studio in Bern. He moved to Geneva in 1971. In its heyday, Pound's studio employed almost 20 people. However, it went bankrupt in 2016.
In addition to designing securities, Pfund has been active in many fields during his 50-year career, from graphics to architecture and design. In 2002, he also designed a special 90-centime Swiss Post stamp to mark Switzerland's accession to the UN. He also designed the interior of the International Red Cross Museum in Geneva and created Reka checks and debit cards for the major bank Credit Suisse.
Numerous awards
As an artist, he painted icons such as Callas, Rimbaud and Proust. He has received several international awards. In 2002, he was honored with the French Order of Arts and Letters. His works are exhibited in Europe, America, Africa and Asia.
The Swiss-French dual citizen was also active in education. He set up an international network of graphic designers. This allowed young designers to train for four years in various European studios.
©Keystone/SDA
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