Ticino Vita was a Swiss life insurance company based in the canton of Ticino, and its visual identity was created by Max Huber (1919–1992), one of the most influential graphic designers of the 20th century. Huber designed the Ticino Vita logo in 1980, a period when he was also teaching graphic design at the CSIA in Lugano (1978–1984).[1]
Design and History
Max Huber’s work for Ticino Vita is documented among his notable logo commissions, alongside marks for Esselunga, Coin, Officine Grafiche Nava, Tipo Print, Autovox and Formenti.[1] An AIAP (Italian Association for Visual Communication Design) exhibition catalogue listing Huber’s brand and logo projects explicitly dates the Ticino Vita mark to 1980.[2]
The identity is closely linked to a sculptural work Huber created for the company. In 1983, Ticino Vita commissioned “Le 3T,” the only sculpture Huber ever made. The work consists of three interlocking letter “T” forms rendered in the Helvetica typeface, reflecting the Swiss School typographic tradition and Huber’s characteristic repeated use of letters in his graphic compositions.[3] The sculpture was installed in 2015 in the space in front of the m.a.x. museo in Chiasso, the museum dedicated to Huber’s legacy.[4]
Meaning and Symbolism
The three interlocking “T” forms in “Le 3T” reproduce the Helvetica letterform and preserve a hallmark of the Swiss School of graphic design.[3] The repeated letter motif was characteristic of Huber’s graphic work more broadly.[3] While the sculpture’s three “T” letters clearly reference the company name “Ticino Vita,” no source documents additional symbolic meaning for the mark itself.
Typography and Design
Documentation of the “Le 3T” sculpture confirms that Huber employed the Helvetica typeface in the work, a choice consistent with the Swiss typographic tradition.[3] Huber’s broader design approach was characterized by bright colors, geometric shapes and dynamic compositions, qualities that defined his logo work for Italian and Swiss clients throughout his career.[1]
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