Zunft zur Saffran is one of Zürich’s oldest guilds, long rooted in the city’s civic traditions and dedicated to preserving its history, community spirit and cultural heritage. Originally named for the spice trade, the guild once brought together spice merchants, grocers, apothecaries and related crafts.

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Zunft zur Saffran is one of Zürich’s oldest guilds, long rooted in the city’s civic traditions and dedicated to preserving its history, community spirit and cultural heritage. Originally named for the spice trade, the guild once brought together spice merchants, grocers, apothecaries and related crafts.

Zunft zur Saffran charts their long history, from 1336 to 2025, articulated in two complementary volumes. Coded in the guild’s vibrant blue and yellow, the pair delve into the politics, membership, houses and social events that shaped its early and recent history.

Our design is celebratory while speaking to the maturity of the guild. The set of volumes carry covers with mirrored embossings of the guild’s emblem and are unified by a bisected title that completes across their spines. Dynamic image layouts, flashes of colourful type and a glyphic coat of arms highlight layers of additional context. Meanwhile, the flourishing italics and elegant ligatures of Swiss baroque typeface Genath, a revival of Johann Wilhelm Haas’ specimens from 1720, reference the grand architecture of the Zunfthaus itself.

Production by Bubu
Genath typeface by François Rappo and Optimo
Written by Beat Frei and Adrian Scherrer