The Department of Design at The Ohio State University marks the passing of Ruedi Rüegg, a great friend of many of our current and former faculty members. Ruedi was a guest instructor in the Department many times over the years, as well as was host to many Design students that had the unique opportunity to work as interns in his office in Zuerich, Switzerland.

Ruedi was born in Zuerich, and studied at the Kunstgewerbeschule in Zuerich with Josef Mueller-Brockmann and Hans Finsler. From 1960 to 1963 he worked in Mueller-Brockmann's studio as graphic designer, and was an assistant to Paul Rand in 1963/1964. After travels in the USA, Mexico, and work in Japan, he returned to Josef Mueller-Brockmann in 1965, and became co-owner and managing director of the advertising agency Mueller-Brockmann & Co. between 1967 and 1976. In 1977 he opened the joint Baltis and Rüegg Studios that later merged into Designalltag, in which he remained active as a design consultant until shortly before his death.

Ruedi Rüegg taught in universities in Zuerich and in the United States, and held many executive functions in graphic design associations, serving as president of AGI Switzerland from 1976 to 1981. He received many awards for his posters and books. On his initiative in 1985, Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh (US) established a collection of about 300 outstanding Swiss Posters from 1971 to the present.

Ruedi will be greatly missed, but he will also be long-remembered for his lasting contributions to the field of Visual Communication Design.